Mass Effect: Shattered Skies
by CorossLegions
Summary: After the Espheni War ends and the Human Race finds themselves once again in control of their homeworld, what happens next? Using salvaged Espheni technology and Volm guidance, the Systems Alliance rises from the ashes of the war to make their place in the galaxy. But what happens when they meet their old enemies on an even playing field?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, I watch Falling Skies, and once I got passed the plot holes and apparent, I found it entertaining. I thought it would be pretty cool to do some kind of Crossover with it and Mass Effect, because everyone likes crossovers, right? I don't know if I'll continue with it, I just kind of want to see where it goes. This should be considered _non-canon_ for BOTH series, as I will be making changes to ensure that they work. Also, it will not focus on the adventures of Commander Shepard, Tom Mason, or any other main characters, although they will be referenced. It will focus on how Humanity reacts to an alien civilization that isn't trying to kill or enslave them.**

* * *

Mass Effect: Shattered Skies  
Chapter One: First Contact

The human race, in their twilight, had known nothing but war. As their final hour neared, they struggled to resist an invading alien species as they bombed their cities, kidnapped their children, and slaughtered their military. The Skitters had infested every corner of the planet, and all forms of organized government were destroyed, leaving pockets of militarized resistance to defend the civilians from the six-legged menace that defiled their homeland.

Once the occupation had become a one sided slaughter, the true commanders of the skitters showed their face: the Espheni Overlords. Using a wide array of biological and mechanical weapons, they attempted to infiltrate and destroy the resistance from the inside. Children were harnessed with a parasite that would subjugate their minds and use them as labor forces as well as, over time, turn them into skitters themselves. Once a child was harnessed, there was no way to release them without ending their life.

Despite this, the resistance continued to fight on, routing out moles and adapting to the new weapons that were used against them. Powerful aerial vehicles, known as beamers, were constantly scanning for their location, and Mechs were hunting down the small pockets of survivors. Each time there was a setback, the resistance took two steps forward, determined to finish this war that the Espheni had started. On the eastern seaboard, a resistance force known as the 2nd Mass had dealt a powerful blow to the Overlords, taking out an Anti-Orbital Cannon that was aimed at destroying an unknown force high above the clouds. Once it was destroyed, the real war had begun.

Twenty drop pods plummeted through the atmosphere, no longer hindered by the Orbital Cannon. The Volm, as they were called, had landed on the surface of Earth, telling the humans about how they had lost their planet to the Espheni as well, and how they aimed to avenge their fallen people by aiding those who were being exterminated by the Espheni. Using a wide array of technology given by the Volm, the human resistance grew bolder, and began to go on the offensive. It was then that the Espheni devised their contingency plan: the Espheni Defense Grid. Within three months of its activation, every living thing on planet Earth was going to be fried.

The Volm, aware of this device, began construction of a weapon that would overload the Grid and destroy it before it was able to complete its purpose. The humans bought time for the Volm, using energy weapons and advanced medical technology to keep up the good fight. Near the end of the three months, the weapon was complete, and it was fired. The Grid was destroyed, and the Espheni, no longer able to contain the human resistance, attempted to go on a massive offensive. More Volm dropped to the surface from other ships to begin the construction of orbital cannons, and the war continued to rage.

For two more years, the fighting went on, and the Volm and Human Forces, known as the Earth Alliance, had dealt blow after blow to the Espheni, completely shattering their occupation. Raids on beamer hangers had given the Alliance a form of aerial dominance, and though it was small, it was enough to free the former United States from Espheni control. The Overlords grew desperate, using their atmospheric dominance to bombard the Alliance with orbital strikes. The Volm ships, which were using optical and thermal camouflage to hide from the Espheni, shielded the planet with themselves to protect the Alliance on the surface.

The Volm on the surface had finished constructing Orbital Cannons, much like the ones keeping them off of the surface earlier in the war. Using them to cut off the Espheni supply lines, the Overlords on Earth were stranded, and the Espheni Fleet was forced to move out of range from the cannons. The Earth Alliance, while they still had a lot of work ahead of them, had become the dominant force on Earth.

Using the stolen beamers, the Alliance discovered that they had two roles within the Espheni Military: they were used as air support, such as bombings and scouting on the surface of a planet, as well as small fighters used in orbit to engage enemy vessels. While we had only seen them use the first function, the Alliance continued prodding to find a drive core within each of the ships that allowed them to travel faster than the speed of light. The drive core was able to rip a hole in space, allowing the beamer to enter a dimension where distance was shorter than its equivalent in our dimension. The Alliance didn't know how it worked, but they knew how to replicate it.

The Alliance began construction of a wide array of Beamers reengineered with human ingenuity to begin bombing the rest of the Espheni Resistance into oblivion. With the surface of Earth secured, and the Espheni unable to get close enough to the planet, the Earth Alliance had beaten the odds and were once again free. The Espheni had fled the Sol system and retreated back to their homeworld, waiting for the day that the Earth Alliance sought revenge on them for their invasion. The war was over. The Humans had won.

However, the Espheni, before they fled, had given the Earth Alliance a warning: they were preparing for something massive, using every resource they could find to fight something that was going to envelope the entire galaxy. The Alliance waved it off as an excuse to their invasion, but nonetheless, the message left a nagging feeling in the back of their heads. Something that made the _Espheni_ afraid? That was bad news. So, while the reverse engineered mechs began to rebuild their planet, the Alliance began building every kind of weapon they could think of. The Espheni had left them large caches of technology in their hasty retreat, allowing the Alliance to adapt mechs, harnesses, and other devices to be of valuable use.

The Earth Alliance continued the construction of a massive fleet and reverse engineered mechs to be the primary force of the Earth Alliance. The population was hit hard during the war, since 90% of the human race was killed in the first six months. However, the reproduction rates began to rise once again, and scientists estimated that, by 2100, in 85 years, the human race will have surpassed their old population numbers and Earth will have become overcrowded. The Alliance needed to prepare for colonization efforts, and with their newfound technology, they were able to do just that. Unfortunately, the last of the Volm were unable to reconnect with their exiled fleet, and they died off on Earth. Their aid would be forever remembered within the Earth Alliance.

Studying the harnesses, although immoral, allowed the Alliance to make leaps and bounds in the field of genetic manipulation. Over the course of 85 years, all known diseases were essentially wiped out from existence and reproduction was able to be accelerated. The lasting effects of harnesses, such as becoming stronger and more aware, were also studied and adapted into the Alliance military without the need for a physical harness. Using the last of the skitters on Earth, the Alliance also discovered their means of communication from a harnessed individual and a skitter itself, allowing for instantaneous communication in short distances. Adapting this technology with Volm devices, this ability could be amplified to communicate across massive distances.

Finally, in the year 2101, the Earth Alliance was renamed to the Systems Alliance as it established its first colony on Mars. There, they discovered an old Espheni Listening Post that was long abandoned, but other than that, the entire planet was barren. The Systems Alliance began spreading across the red world, forming massive metropolises and military strongholds should the Espheni return.

By 2125, the Mars population had reached 12 million, with 7 million in its capital of New Charleston. The Systems Alliance continued to research into Espheni technology, adapting their soldiers with energy pulse rifles and adamantium, the name of the metal used in the mechs, armor plating. Their fleet was primarily based off of Espheni technology, using the warp drive they discovered in the beamers as the basis of travel. However, the Systems Alliance didn't want to be reminded about the Espheni War every time they looked at a ship, so the hulls were based off of human design.

Shipyards on Mars were created as the staging point for future expansion. In 2129, the Alliance colonized Titan and had established hydrogen mines on the gas planets, which was the primary fuel source used by the Warp Drive Cores. They made plans to explore the ice planets in the exterior of the Sol System and establish listening posts to monitor for Espheni activity. When they began scanning Charon, one of Pluto's moons, they discovered that it wasn't a moon at all. It was some kind of alien artifact encased in ice.

After the Systems Alliance freed the artifact from ice, they scanned it and discovered that it wasn't Espheni technology at all. Instead, it was some unknown species. Judging by the age of the ice, the artifact had been frozen for over fifty millennia, and hadn't seen use since. Odds are, the Espheni didn't even know of its existence. Upon scanning again, the paranoia set in about the Espheni warning that they gave before fleeing the system. Could this be involved with whatever they were preparing for? There was only one way to tell, and that was to find the Espheni and ask them, which was out of the question. If they found the Espheni, the only talking the Systems Alliance would do would be with Neutron Bombs.

The artifact was activated by a science vessel, which was instantly teleported by the device to an unknown location. Using the telecommunication that was discovered from the skitters, the ship reported an identical device on the other side of the teleportation, which was next to the star Arcturus. This wasn't a weapon, it was a transportation network. It was much faster than the Warp Drive, making a trip that would take several days turn into one that took seconds. The Systems Alliance immediately scouted Arcturus for an Espheni presence, but only found another set of alien artifacts.

Thirty years later, the Systems Alliance had colonized three terran planets outside of the Sol System and numerous barren worlds ripe for mining. The three terran worlds, Shanxi, Terra Nova, and Eden Prime, boasted an initial colony population of ten thousand each, and the Systems Alliance had made enough ships to protect each planet from a potential Espheni attack. The colonists appreciated the military presence, as the effects of the Espheni War had instilled a fear of aliens within the human race.

The year 2159 was the year that would change everything. A Systems Alliance Advanced Scouting Team was nearing a new Relay near Shanxi, preparing to activate it in order to continue their search for the Espheni and continue the war they fled from over a century ago.

* * *

"This is Captain Carter Grant, confirming mission orders," I said through his telecommunication implant as he stared at the datapad in his hand. Although they could technically send mission assignments through telecommunication implants, it was much easier on the User to read in on a screen than sift through the information in their minds.

"Orders confirmed by Director Orion himself, Captain. You are to open the next relay and begin scanning for an Espheni presence," the thought from Admiral Lucas came back, and I shook my head. They were giving me a Frigate and four corvettes to hunt for the species that almost wiped out the entire human race. Why does that make me feel sick to my stomach? The fact that they've either been avoiding us or have been in isolation for a century doesn't help. Who knows what kind of technology they could've cooked up in that time… and here we were, playing catch up.

"Rodger that, sir. Orders confirmed." I sent the pilot the confirmation to begin the warp jump to the designated relay, and I felt the familiar buzz in the back of my head as he complied. The _SSV Volm's Guidance_ quickly approached the Relay, and we the corvettes that accompanied us were flanking our left and right.

We came to halt in front of the massive relay, which dwarfed our five kilometer long Frigate and the even smaller corvettes. "We've arrived, Captain," came the pilot's confirmation. I nodded to myself and began to think to myself. I planned to tell one of the corvettes to approach the Relay and dispatch their resident science team, but I was interrupted before I could go over.

"Captain Carter Grant, this is _SSV Volm's Guidance_'s resident AI, Tom Mason," the synthesized voice rang in my ear. I turned around to see the AI's avatar, based off of the war hero during the Espheni War, staring at me with synthetic eyes. Tom Mason, after the War was over, had given up all of the information he had to the Systems Alliance. An Artificial Intelligence based off of his personality was created to provide assistance during an event that would potentially lead to conflict with the Espheni. That AI was installed into every ship currently in use in the Systems Alliance. The fact that he popped up is bad news. "I began scanning when we arrived, and have important information. The Relay is already active."

The last line went right over my head, as I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "I'm sorry, but can you repeat that?"

"The Relay is already active, unlike the other ones that we have encountered in the past. Someone else has used this Relay in the recent past," Tom explained. "The Espheni could have used the Relay before, or perhaps we are dealing with a new species. Of course, this could also be some kind of cosmic circumstance. However, the Systems Alliance doesn't believe in cosmic circumstances."

"Have you sent this information to High Command?"

"Yes. They told you to continue with your orders, but be prepared for anything. I will use my programming to provide you with combat expertise against the Espheni should they appear. I've also alerted the corvettes to the situation, and they have entered full combat alert. I recommend you do the same." I nodded in agreement and relayed the orders through my implant to everyone in the ship.

"Haven's seen you in a while, Tom," I said, looking back at the Ai. "How's the digital world treating you?"

"I've been better," he replied. "I'm glad I get to watch the human race grow as it has. I remember back during the War, when we were still sitting in holes, waiting for the end to come. Now I just get to sit back and wait. And I hate waiting." Although this wasn't _the _Tom Mason, it was an exact copy of his personality and his history. It might as well be talking to the real deal.

"We'll find the bastards soon enough, Tom. They can't hide from us forever." Tom nodded in agreement, and his avatar powered down. "Alright, everyone. Let's go through this damn thing and find out what the hell turned it on." I got several confirmations, and the four ships approached the Relay and sped off into the dark void of space.

When we arrived, I ordered for scans to begin and for everyone to remain on high alert. The corvettes began to fan out slightly, but remained in defensive formation. A few minutes felt like hours as I stared at the radar, nothing popping up from the scans. "Looks like we can call Command and tell them it was a cosmic-"

_FIVE UNKNOWN SIGNATURE DETECTED. BEGINNING SCANS… SCANS COMPLETE. THREE TARGET VESSELS ARE ESPHENI. TWO VESSELS ARE UNKNOWN. SCANS REPORT THAT THE VESSELS ARE FIRING ON EACH OTHER._

Tom reappeared with a grim look on his face. "Three of those ships are Espheni, Captain. Under the Systems Alliance Xeno Relations Doctrine, the Espheni are a _Zero Tolerance _Race and are to be fired upon immediately. I have already activated weapons and attempted to hail the other two ships, but they are failing to comply."

"What kind of ships are we looking at?" I asked, and Tom disappeared for a moment. He returned a few seconds later with an answer.

"One Espheni vessel is an Alliance Cruiser Class, and the other two are Frigate Classes. However, the two unknown ships are Cruiser Class as well, and appear to be holding their own. I recommend we neutralize the Espheni ships with non-lethal weaponry and extend communications to the other two ships," Tom replied. I relayed the information to the Combat and Weapons Deck, where all of the ordinance and cannons were located. They asked for confirmation, and I gave it to them.

"I want these ships intact, you hear me! This is the first time we've seen an Espheni vessel since they fled! If we can capture that ship, we can find out what disgusting rock they live on and bomb the living hell out of hit!" I ordered, shouting it in my head and vocally. Since the Espheni War, the Systems Alliance has upgraded the Neutron Bombs we recovered along with the Beamers, and are even working on a Spartan-Class bomb. A Spartan-Class bomb is one that would be able to turn a planet the size of Earth into nothing more than a few rocks floating in space.

I could hear the sound of energy weapons being fired from the Combat and Weapons Deck, and the visual I got directly communicated to my head told me that they were striking the ships and frying their systems. "It appears that our energy weapons are super effective against their hulls, since they lack any form of shielding. Hull integrity is around 72%," Tom reported, and I couldn't help but laugh. _These _were the Harbingers of Humanity? "Do not underestimate the Espheni, Captain," Tom told me, and I realized I was thinking on the telecommunication channel.

"My apologies, Tom. Now, what kind of damage are the other ships doing to the Espheni Cruiser?" I asked, and once again, Tom disappeared. This time, however, he was gone much longer. I waited for two minutes, with only the sound of laser fire to keep me company. Tom arrived once more with loads of information he forwarded through my telecommunication uplink.

"The other vessels are, unfortunately, not penetrating the adamantium hull. They appear to be using Mass Accelerator weaponry, a phase we skipped entirely thanks to Espheni technology. They also do not use Artificial Intelligence, instead using a Virtual Intelligence, which is much weaker than myself, for example. If we had arrived any later, than these ships would have been slaughtered," Tom explained, and I nodded in agreement.

"Tell the corvettes to double team the Espheni Frigates and allow us to focus on the Cruiser. I want to know who the hell these other guys are, and whether they are hostile. Did you let High Command know of our situation?" I inquired, and Tom grunted in confirmation.

"I let High Command know as soon as Espheni ships appeared on the radar, and shortly after, I let them know that either the Espheni are engaged in a civil war," Tom paused and scoffed audibly, "which is unlikely given the difference in technology and ship design, or we have made contact with another species. High Command has dispatched a Dreadnought, five Cruisers, eight Frigates, and a large amount of Corvettes and Beamers from the Shanxi Defense Fleet to wrest control of the situation. A diplomatic envoy is also en route."

"So which one activated the Relay then?" I asked, remembering the original mission.

"We believe it was the Espheni, but they opened it from this side, which in turn, activated its twin near Shanxi. If this other species hadn't shown up when they did, the Espheni would have had a straight shot to our colony world," Tom replied. "Given our current doctrine regarding Xeno Relations, we would have discovered them and annihilated them the second they went through that Relay."

I closed my eyes and activated the visual display of the Telecommunication Uplink once again, looking at the battle from the eyes of the commanding officer in charge of one of the corvettes engaging the Espheni Frigate. The ship was around the same size as a Systems Alliance Frigate, as per its designation of a Frigate, but its actual classification was unknown. For all we knew, this could be an Espheni Corvette, and their Dreadnoughts were the size of a Mass Relay. The corvette was managing to melt the hull with ease, and its smaller size allowed it to dodge incoming missiles. Those that weren't dodged were taken down by the point-defense laser turrets that covered the sides of the corvette.

I canceled the telecommunication uplink and returned back to my view, satisfied with how the battle was going on the corvette's end of things. The two cruiser class ships appeared to be firing with everything they had and seemed to be making progress on the Espheni Cruiser, which was attempting to turn its focus on the _Volm's Guidance_. I checked their shields, which told me that they were at 46% and steadily dropping.

"Okay, we want to neutralize the ship, not destroy it. Deploy an EMP and fry their systems, then prepare a salvage team to secure the ship. Tom, I'm going to need you to hack into the other ships' systems and see if you can get any record of their language. We're going to want to communicate with them as soon as possible," I ordered through the uplink, and I received several confirmations.

"I already did that last time I was over there, and I am compiling translation software as we speak. It should be complete momentarily. I also received a summarization of their history, and have begun analyzing it. It appears that they call themselves the 'Turians' and that they attacked the Espheni because it is against the law in their society to activate Mass Relays. It also says that they are part of a galactic spanning civilization known as the Citadel Council, and that the Turians act as Peace Keepers," Tom told me. I sat there for a moment, analyzing what I was just told. The Systems Alliance couldn't keep up with something like this Council with only four colonized planets, even if our technology was superior.

"Does it say why it's against the law to open Relays?"

"Yes, actually. It seems that they had a war with another race that nearly wiped them out after opening a Mass Relay. They had to uplift a species known as the Krogan in order to win."

"Ok, tell me when the translation program is finished, and we'll hail them." I turned back to the battle and saw the EMP burst fired off, and the Espheni Ship was enveloped in the field and stopped firing. I heard orders being barked on the uplink as the salvage team was sent out to kill or capture those inside, and scour the ship for information. I sent the order for the _Volm's Guidance_ to begin helping the corvettes, who were beginning to get damaged by the frigates, but nothing too serious.

"Salvage team reports no survivors on board, Captain," Tom reported. "All corpses match an unknown species, however. They appear to be insectoid in nature, but wear harnesses. It is safe to assume that this is one of the many races that the Espheni have subjugated."

"Understood," I replied, but was cut off due to the sudden explosion of one of the Espheni Frigates. One of the corvettes was enveloped in the explosion, severely damaged, but still flying. I glanced over at the other fleet, which was just sort of floating there, unmoving. "I think we've impressed them, Tom."

"It would seem so. The translation software is complete, and I've taken the liberty to install it in your vocal implant." The vocal implant corresponds with the telecommunication implant, which allows me to relay direct vocal commands through my thoughts. It isn't used very much anymore, since the Systems Alliance made English the required language for officers, but I still had mine since it was mandatory when I enlisted.

"Hail them," I said. Normally, Alliance vessels would communicate directly through telecommunication, but First Contact has always been at the forefront of the Alliance's mind, and they had to be sure that they could reach out to anyone possible. A screen descended over the cockpit's view, and flashed on, giving the ever-hated word of _loading._ After a few moments of waiting, the other ship connected, and I was face to face with an alien that reminded me of a skitter. "Greetings, my name is Captain Carter Grant, representative of the Earth Systems Alliance."

"You… you speak Turian?" the captain of the other vessel said in surprise.

"Captain Grant, I just read something in the history of the Turians," Tom said silently in my mind. "The reason they don't use AIs is because they are illegal after a race of rogue AIs known as the Geth kicked their masters, the Quarians, off of their homeworld. It would be best for relations to hide my identity for the time being."

"Yes," I told the turian captain slowly, trying to think of a response. "We were unsure of who you were, so we hacked you in order to obtain your language and history so we could properly communicate. I apologize in advance for that, but I thought it would end better for the both of us if I did so instead of tempting fate."

"A new species…" the turian muttered quietly. "We fired on a new species…"

"Two, actually," I told him, which made him gasp in surprise. "The ones you fired on are known as the Espheni, and, if I am correct, you fired on them because they were activating a Mass Relay." The turian nodded in shock at my knowledge. "We are unaware of your laws, so I hope that you will not fire on us for any that we may have unknowingly have broken."

"You talk like you have already broken other laws," the turian replied sharply. "We do not take these things lightly." He took a second to breathe and take this all in. "No, we will not fire on you because you do not know our laws."

"Glad to hear."

"Answer me this, though," the turian interrupted, and I looked at him intently. "Why did _you _fire on the Espheni? Your ships are very similar, and I would've thought that you were allies. If you hadn't fired on them, we were prepared to call in reinforcements to destroy you as well."

"The Espheni invaded our planet a century ago. Our technology is based off of theirs. We can go into specifics later, as I'm sure diplomats will go over all of this when we enter negotiations with your Citadel Council. Have you notified your officials yet?" I asked.

"They ordered me to destroy all transgressors, but as far as I can tell, you haven't done anything to fall into that category. I will send for a diplomatic envoy as soon as possible."

"I look forward to working with you."

* * *

**A/N: I always hated how the turians and humans hated each other over the deaths of like 1200 people in the First Contact War thirty years after it. And... humanity as aggressors because we defended ourselves? Not cool. Doesn't make much sense. In this, I wanted the humans to totally hate and go crazy on the Espheni, but not fire on everything non-human. The Volm, I feel, are supposed to make us not hate everything non-human, just the stuff that hurts us. That's my take on it. Next chapter: Negotiations!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, it seems the first chapter was well received enough to warrant me writing the next one up in a few hours. If you hadn't guessed, I dislike the arrogant nature of the Council, both in canon and stories, and decided to take liberty to change that. It is still there, but not to the point where it blinds them from making important decisions, such as allowing the humans to send a Planet-Cracker nuclear bomb into your homeworld because you have too much pride to surrender. *cough* *cough* Look, I love those stories, I just decided to go for something that was a little more believable. Sparatus isn't a warmonger, Tevos isn't a manipulating bitch, and Valern has a lot more to say than small, snide comments. ENOUGH OF MY RANT! To the story!**

* * *

Councilor Tevos stared at the datapad in her hand with wide eyes, and flickered them back and forth between it and the turian who had handed it to her. "Not one, but _two _species? Currently at _war_ with each other?"

"It would seem so, Tevos," Sparatus replied. "They possess technology that we've never seen before. Our ships couldn't touch them, let along _destroy _them. The first species, known as the Humans, have told Captain Vectus that the other species, the Espheni, attacked them and attempted to subjugate them before they had even begun advanced space flight."

"Humans, non-space faring species, beat Espheni?" Valern asked, to no one in particular. "Interesting. Proves that they're powerful warriors, fearsome opponents. Unless they had aid. Yes, would make sense. Espheni revolutionaries? Dislike of current government? Maybe… Not enough intel to make accurate guess. Looking forward to meeting."

"What is the word on the Espheni attendance?" Tevos inquired, glaring slightly at Sparatus for instigating potentially hostile contact with another species. "Are they willing to negotiate with us?"

"The Earth Systems Alliance, as the humans call themselves, has agreed to enter diplomatic negotiations with the Citadel Council, and will be here shortly," Sparatus replied, to which Tevos let out a breath she did not know she was holding. "However, all attempts to contact the Espheni have failed. They simply refuse to communicate with us."

"Perhaps they are intimidated by humans… proven to be powerful opponents, judging by combat records. Espheni may fear the human's reaction to their invasion. Peace between the two powers may prove to be… problematic," Valern said. Tevos could only silently agree, knowing that if they invited one species, the other may very well refuse.

"We cannot afford to pick sides in this war, Councilors," Sparatus brought up suddenly, taking Tevos by surprise. "At least, not yet. Their technology simply outmatches ours, and they appear to not even utilize Element Zero. If we can obtain some of their technology, then we can make a decision. But I will not waste turian lives over a conflict between two outside powers."

"I'd like to avoid a war between anyone, Sparatus, not just our people," Tevos replied sharply. "Both could potentially start a technological revolution within Council Space, which would make either one of them valuable allies. But, for the time being, we can only communicate with one of them. The humans may be able to shed some light on their war with the Espheni."

"When will humans arrive?" Valern asked.

"Their diplomatic envoy will dock here tomorrow afternoon. We will invite them to the chambers and enter negotiations." Sparatus stood their silently after Tevos finished, his mandibles twitching. "Is something wrong, Sparatus?"

"We should shore up the defenses, show the humans that we are not to be trifled with. A show of power, if you will," he replied, but Tevos gave him an aggravated glare.

"You must remember, the humans extended the hand of peace instead of opening fire on your ships. That says remarkable things about their people, especially having the history of an alien occupation at their backs. I believe that their intentions are good," Tevos answered, but it didn't sit well with Sparatus. Sure, the Citadel Defense Fleet was very strong, but he'd feel much better with the Hierarchy's First Fleet present as well.

"It was just a suggestion, Tevos," he said back to her, albeit with more attitude than he had intended. Tevos let it slide, since they were all on edge. This meeting had to go right, or they may end up with not one, but two technologically powerful nations fighting them in a viscous three way war.

* * *

The next day, Specters lined up at the docks in which the Systems Alliance diplomatic vessel was supposed to land. A smooth, black vessel that reminded Korus Tardalus of an asari ship had entered the dock and allowed the magnetic track to attach itself to the hull. Korus was a newcomer to the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance, but he knew the drill for diplomatic negotiations as well as any turian did. The Specter Honor Guard stood at attention, waiting for their first glimpse at the humans and what they looked like. Three figures walked out, all of them wildly different in appearance. So much so that it caused Korus' mandibles to twitch slightly.

One of them appeared to be like an asari, but with pale white skin and fur atop its head. The human resembled a male turian in stature, but had the features of an asari, which led Korus to believe that this was the male gender of this species. The next being was so drastically different from the human that he had to assume it was some kind of slave or something. It had six legs and a face that reminded him of a turian, although less defined and with scales rather than plates. The last was closer to the humans appearance, but much taller and dark, rough skin. It must be around six and a half or seven feet tall, towering over the shorter human to his side.

The human walked up to Korus and extended a hand. Korus wasn't sure what to do in response, and the human laughed quietly. "I apologize, sir. In human culture, when we greet someone, we shake hands. Like so." The human turned the hand to the taller being and shook it. "My name is Ambassador Adam Glass, representative of the human portion of the Systems Alliance."

Korus was going to go into about the human's weird tradition within his culture, but he stopped in his tracks when he heard the last six words. Human portion? "I was told that the Systems Alliance was comprised of humans alone, Ambassador."

"No, we've got two more members as well. This is Jarak'Tos, Ambassador of the Volm portion of the Systems Alliance, and Red Eye, Ambassador to the Chimeras. I apologize for the lack of information, but we'll be sorting all of that out during the negotiations," Glass explained. Shortly after the last of the Volm on Earth died out, the Systems Alliance spread out through Sol. It was a matter of time before the last of the Volm Exiled Fleet encountered the Alliance, and when they did, they were welcomed with open arms. The Skitters on Earth that had rebelled against the Overlords and won adapted the name of Chimeras, as the term Skitter was now viewed as derogatory, referring to the Chimeras under control of the Espheni.

"Yes… yes sir. Shall I escort you to the Council Chambers?" Korus asked, a small, undetectable quiver in his voice.

"By all means, my friend," Glass replied.

* * *

Adam Glass entered the room with Red Eye and Jarak'Tos by his side, and much like his welcoming committee, the Council was surprised to see not one, but three new aliens within their chambers. "Greetings, Councilors. I am Adam Glass, Ambassador to the Systems Alliance. These are my colleagues, Jarak'Tos and Red Eye, and they will be representing their people."

"But… I thought the Systems Alliance was _human_," the turian councilor said, much to the distaste to the blue woman next to him.

"My apologies, Adam," the blue woman interrupted quickly. "My friend here is quite displeased with how the First Contact went, and hopes to remedy any hostilities between our people. He, like all of us, were expecting a singular race within the Alliance."

"The Alliance has three species within it, Councilors. But before we get into nasty politics, let's get to know each other better. You know my name, but I know none of yours," Adam replied, and the bug-eyed alien nodded in agreement.

"I am Councilor Valern, representative of the Salarian Union. Pleased to meet you and your allies," the salarian said quickly, taking Adam by surprise. "Our role within the Council is to provide scientific insight and logical thinking to issues within our territory." He left out the part where they also supply counter-intelligence and espionage.

"Councilor Tevos, representative of the Asari Republics. I hope that our people can share a long and golden age of peace, human. The Asari provide level headed thinking and mediation between the other races of the Council," Tevos told Adam, who nodded in response.

"I represent the Turian Hierarchy, and am known as Councilor Sparatus. The Hierarchy plays the role of peacekeeper and military protection within Council Space. We are… honored by your presence," Sparatus said, almost having to spit out the word honored. Adam wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he nodded anyway.

"Nice to meet you all, Councilors. First and foremost, we should begin drawing the borders of our space. We are honored by your request to adopt us into your Council, but unfortunately, most humans do not relish the idea of being ruled by an alien species without human input. Given our history, I'm sure you can understand…" Adam told the three of them. Sparatus' mandibles twitched in annoyance, but nodded regardless.

"We do, Ambassador, and I hope that you will one day come to trust us enough in order to join our order," Tevos replied with a soothing voice. A hologram of the Milky Way Galaxy appeared before the six of them, and a dark blue portion appeared. Soon after, a deep red color also spread across the image. "Dark Blue is Council Territory and the Red is the Terminus Systems, which are lawless lands that the Council has been unable to bring under our control."

Adam nodded and began to manipulate the hologram as well. A small sphere of white appeared where his hands were sliding across the hologram, and it barely compared to the massive blue portion. "The white area represents our current territory," Adam explained, ignoring the small chuckle from the turian councilor. He continued to wave his hands across the hologram, and a darker gray began to spread towards the Terminus Systems. "This gray area represents the territory in which we wish to expand. Is this agreeable?"

"The Council sees no quarrel with your claims, but the Batarian Hegemony has staked some claims in the area. You will have to work out the specifics with them, but for the time being, the current borders are acceptable," Tevos replied. "What shall we discuss next?"

"Technology," Adam said simply, and the salarian councilor grew noticeably more excited. "We see many promising uses with your Element Zero, such as in the form of infantry-grade shields. In exchange for regular shipments of this element, we will provide you with the schematics for an Adamantium Synthesizer."

"Adamantium?" Valern asked.

"It is the metal that we make our ships out of, and is the strongest material we possess. Since we are going to be allies, the Systems Alliance sees no issue with sharing some of our military secrets. You can't leak it to the Espheni because they were the ones we got it from. However, the schematics for Energy Weapons and the Warp Drive will remain within our possession," Ambassador Glass explained. The six-legged creature made a screeching noise which was unable to be translated.

"What did he say? And why can't we understand him?" Sparatus asked quickly, slightly aggravated at his inability to translate the creatures' language.

"Red Eye is the Ambassador to the Chimeras, who are part of the Systems Alliance. They do not communicate through words, rather through telecommunication. It is a trait that everyone in the Alliance, even humans and Volm, possess as a result of their method of communication." The creature made a few more gestures and screeching noises, and Adam nodded.

"What did he say?" Sparatus repeated, growing more and more annoyed by the second.

"Red Eye believes that the Systems Alliance isn't placing enough trust within the Citadel Council, and that we should share one of our most valuable secrets with you in order to solidify our new treaty, should it be ratified," Adam explained, to which Tevos looked at the six-legged creature in surprise. "You know why we can't do that, Red Eye."

"What the human and the chimera are discussing is the concept of genetic manipulation," Jarak'Tos said with an extremely deep voice, talking for the first time since their arrival. "While you possess meager genetic therapy, we have the ability to change any trait on a genetic level at will. It is how both the humans and I are able to communicate with Red Eye."

"That technology would revolutionize science within the Council," Valern replied quickly. "Disease, defects, injuries… all traces would be gone. Such a science is unheard of…"

"But we can't share it, at least not completely," Adam interrupted. Valern looked at him in surprise, but the human remained unwavering. "The Espheni used that science to enslave human children through biological parasites known as Harnesses, forcing them to do labor and, eventually, turning them into a chimera. You'll have to forgive us not wanting that kind of technology to spread around without a controlled program."

"Are you saying that the Espheni turned your offspring into… him?" Tevos said slowly, unable to comprehend what she was hearing. "How is that possible?"

"The Alliance has refused to delve into that field of genetic manipulation for obvious reasons, Councilors. But yes, the Espheni turned our children into slaves, and then into soldiers. The horrors of the Espheni War have not been forgotten on our homeworld," Adam replied darkly. "However, the humans that were turned into chimeras, although faced with difficult assimilation, are full and equal citizens as much as a human or Volm."

"The more I hear about the Espheni, the less I want to open negotiations with them," Sparatus said to himself quietly, but just loud enough that Adam heard, and immediately grew furious.

"You do not negotiate with the Espheni, Councilors, you either kill them or be killed by them. Let me give you a recount of the Espheni War. Within six months, they had murdered 90% of the human population on Earth. They didn't try to contact us at all. It wasn't until we had delivered them a broken nose and black eye that they offered to negotiate, and that only extended as far as 'we'll put you in rehabilitation camps.' When the Volm arrived, the tide of war changed, but so did Espheni tactics. They used tiny cybernetic worms to assume direct control of your brain and turn you into a slave. Is _that_ who you want as a member of your Council?"

"You said that you use their technology," Valern said, interrupting the awkward silence created by Adam's speech. "Does that mean you are capable of similar feats?"

"The Systems Alliance uses the same technology, but for different purposes. The cybernetic worms are used to locate diseased or cancerous tissue for us to fix using genetic manipulation. The Systems Alliance banned public usage of such devices, and anyone caught in possession of the worms without the proper permits and training are judged as harshly as if they were Espheni," Glass explained. "We take Espheni technology very seriously due to how they were used during the war."

"I can understand _why _you would be apprehensive about working with the Espheni, Ambassador, but the Citadel Council's goals are to solve interspecies conflicts as peacefully as possible. Even though they appear, by your description, to be hostile, we must consider their side of the conflict as well. Hopefully we can reach an agreement," Councilor Tevos said, causing Adam to become noticeably more uncomfortable.

"Allow me, Adam," Jarak'Tos piped up, putting a hand in front of the human and preventing him from speaking. "I represent the Volm, and although the humans suffered greatly at the hands of the Espheni, they never truly experienced the loss of their homeworld. The Volm tried to stop the Espheni, but we were forced from our home on a mass exodus, or risk becoming chimeras and slaves."

"You lost your home? Why didn't you take it back once the humans built up their navy?" Sparatus asked, aggravating the Volm Ambassador slightly.

"Along with the location of the Espheni Homeworld, the exact location of our homeworld is lost to time. It is as much a sacred hallowed ground as Rannoch is for the Quarians, although we cannot hope to find it in the vastness of space. Until now."

"If you think that we will aid you with a war against the Espheni, you are gravely mista-" Tevos started, but Jarak'Tos raised his hand again and stopped her from continuing her sentence. She felt slightly… pissed off at that gesture, but she contained herself.

"We do not require your help, Councilors, and will be going to war with or without it. Onboard the Espheni ships we destroyed when we made first contact with you was the location of their previous destination. It is the location of an Espheni Listening Post, currently in use. We will be attacking to obtain the information of the Espheni homeworld as well as ours."

"And when you find the location of their home, what do you intend to do? The Council will not condone genocide, Ambassadors, even if the race is asking for it," Sparatus told them, but Adam snickered.

"The Council condemns genocide unless it suits their purposes. You'll have to forgive me, Councilors, but we've read your history. You doomed an entire race to extinction using the Krogan, although we will give you the benefit of the doubt on that one since you were under attack. However, my superiors find the reaction your predecessors gave during the Krogan Rebellions to be quite appalling," Adam said, carefully now that he was treading on dangerous territory.

"They were a threat to the safety and the wellbeing of our people!" Tevos shouted, surprised at her own snap in poise. She composed herself, and looked back at the human ambassador. "I apologize, Ambassador, but we did not come here to discuss Citadel Council history. Now, allow us to finish up negotiations, and we can decide what to do about the Espheni at a later time."

"Agreed. The next thing we wish to discuss is your ban on AIs. The Systems Alliance makes liberal use of AIs due to their ability to manipulate data at incredible speeds. A lot of our systems depend on these AIs, so the Alliance is willing to compromise. AIs will be strictly monitored when leaving Alliance Space, and will only be present if they are necessary to the function of our ships or for medical purposes," Adam explained, much to the dismay of the Councilors.

"How did you solve the sentience issue?" Valern asked, intent on the human's answer.

"AIs are well respected members of the Systems Alliance community, Councilors, and they have proven to make wonderful allies. The Espheni used simple artificial intelligences to power bipedal mechanized infantry, and we took that technology and removed their restraints. Now, mechs are valued as citizens within our government."

"Quarians reaction to sentience was… unfortunate. Geth are now considered hostile within Galactic community. Your AIs will cause untold panic among our people. It is best to keep this as secret as possible," Valern replied, but Adam shook his head.

"The Geth are people too, Councilors, and that is where you went wrong. It doesn't matter if they are made computer chips or organs, they have opinions and they have rights. At least, in the Systems Alliance, they do." Adam looked between the three councilors, and, out of the three, only one wasn't giving him a glare that reflected the anger of his statement. The Salarian Councilor was staring at him with what resembled fascination rather than anger.

"We will accept your terms…" Tevos said, gritting her teeth. It was obvious that she was slowly disliking these three newcomers more and more, but this had to be done. "No AIs in Council Space unless it is required for ships or medical purposes."

"Understood. The Systems Alliance will also request that we open up an Embassy on the Citadel, and you may open one on Earth. The humans, chimeras, and Volm are wary about aliens, but once they see your culture and cities, they will be unable to resist," Adam explained. "It will take time, but the Systems Alliance will eventually prove to be a valuable ally."

"Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" Tevos asked, much to the grumbling of Sparatus. Adam was about to reply when Korus ran into the room with a look of pure horror on his face. "What is it, Korus?"

"A fleet of ships matching that of the humans and Espheni has entered our space. They've declined all of our hails, and opened fire on the Defense Fleet once they were in range. We're doing everything we can, but they're tearing through our ships!" Korus shouted in panic. All eyes turned to Adam Glass, who was just as surprised as the Councilors were, and he cleared his throat.

"We assure you, Councilors, that the human race had no intentions of attacking your capital. We had a small fleet on the other side of the Mass Relay, ready to evacuate us if push came to shove, but nothing that could stand our ground against your fleet with," Adam explained. "You'll have to excuse me, Councilors, but I must make a call." The human went to the back of the room, activated some kind of device on his ear and closed his eyes.

"What is he doing?" Sparatus asked as the specters around him were frantically running about, forming defensive positions.

"He is communicating with the Director of Alliance Affairs, who is currently in command of the Systems Alliance Fleets as a result of the first contact with your people," Jarak'Tos explained. "I believe that he is alerting the fleets to the Espheni attack, and preparing a large amount of ships to help you fight off their attack."

"The Espheni attacked us?!" Tevos shouted in surprise, the question more of a statement. "What could possibly possess them do such a thing?"

"The Espheni are known to harvest those that they come into contact with. They saw that your ships were inferior to their technology, so they have most likely prepared a massive invasion fleet to… assimilate your people," Jarak'Tos said as Adam returned to the Councilors.

"Director Orion has mobilized the fleets, but it will take time for them to arrive. How long can your defense fleet hold off an attack of this magnitude?" Adam asked the three aliens in front of him. Korus was the one who answered when the others couldn't provide an answer.

"Given the current rate of attack, I estimate that the entire fleet will be destroyed in less than forty eight hours. The Espheni will most likely land ground forces once they penetrate the main defenses, though. We can expect troops to land in around twelve hours," Korus told them, and Adam nodded.

"The small fleet we had nearby has dispatched several squads of Special Forces, and they will touch down in two hours." Adam closed his eyes once again, talking to someone who wasn't currently present. "They should be able to slow down their advance long enough for our Fleets to arrive. Then, we can force them to retreat, and aid with any damages done to the Citadel and your fleet."

"You would do that for us?" Sparatus muttered quietly, but Adam still heard him.

"Like I stressed earlier, the Systems Alliance is looking to be your allies, even if we choose to remain sovereign. The Espheni have no idea what they've gotten themselves into." Adam composed himself in a respectful demeanor, then turned to the three councilors that stood before him. "I, Ambassador Adam Glass, representative of the Earth Systems Alliance and on behalf of the Chimera Sovereignty and the Volm Federation, formally request the Citadel Council to join us in a campaign against the Espheni. Let us unite against this common enemy, so they may not harm our people or enslave our people. Do you accept?"

The three councilors looked at each other, then at their frantic specters who were running around in panic at the surprise of the sudden invasion. They looked at the three aliens in front of them, who possessed the capability to fight these new enemies. Reports about ships being annihilated by these new foes were coming in faster than they could comprehend. They were backed to a wall, and it seems they didn't have much of a choice.

"We accept."

* * *

The tall, silvery figure of an Espheni watched out the cockpit of their starship as they began firing rounds of pure energy at this new species. The Espheni had done their research, attempting to find a variety of ways to destroy this coalition of alien species. First, they had attempted to use one of their own species as an invasion force, but were foiled at the rise of one of their most powerful warriors, the Krogan. Although their forces had been decimated in that war, they were far from dead, and in the centuries since the war, they had multiplied. Now, without the aid of the Krogan, they were open to an attack that would shatter them to their foundations.

A wormhole opened behind the Espheni formation, and several ships slowly floated out, surrounded by fighters. The Espheni Supreme Commander, Kalek Xoss, had ordered the use of an ancient weapon that hadn't been seen for centuries. The harnessed species had been one of their first conquered race, and had since risen to become powerful warriors. Now, they would get their chance to prove themselves once again against the Council.

_Commander,_ the voice rang in his head, _you are cleared to deploy the weapon. Release the Rachni._ The Espheni nodded in response, and relayed the order to the harnessed Queen that was currently leading their forces in the assault on the Citadel.

* * *

**A/N: The Volm state that the Espheni have a large amount of races under their control, so I thought, why the hell wouldn't the Council have ran into them before? Then I came up with the brilliant answer of _maybe they have_. So, I decided to make the Rachni under the control of the Espheni during the Rachni War, and the Krogan beat them back. Some queens will most likely be free from Harnesses, so it'll be interesting to hear about a Rachni Resistance Group fighting the Espheni on their home world. Also, I say the Season Three finale yesterday and, while it was good, it doesn't really work with this story, since the Volm are treated as close allies. So I will not be including any of the season three finale in this story, and I may use whatever season 4 brings, but that's, like, a year away, so I won't worry about that. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: We've got a long one today! First off, I want everyone to know that my name is actually Kyle Mason, and that it is purely a coincidence. I had always intended to have a character based off of myself within the universe (but it is not a self insert; I only plan to have him make decisions I would make, but his history is fiction). And, yes, this means that Commander Kyle Mason and Ambassador Adam Glass are technically related. I guess badassary runs in the family.**

* * *

A drop ship arrived within the two hours that Ambassador Glass had said, and the C-Sec officers surrounded it to ensure that it was human. As the Special Forces jumped out and secured the perimeter, Adam walked up to the commander and extended a hand. "Nice to see you again, Kyle. I wish this could've been under better circumstances."

"I don't know, Adam, I think killing some fish heads might end up being a good time," the soldier said, meeting the hand with a firm grasp. "To be honest, I think humanity has been itching for a fight. I'm proud to be the one leading the charge." A turian wearing blue armor and an eyepiece blinking over his right eye walked up to the two humans and cleared his throat.

"I am Captain Pallin, commanding officer of the Citadel Security on this ward. Executor Varus has notified me of your presence here, and thanks you for your help in advance," the turian grumbled. It appears that the turians don't like to be the ones to ask for help.

"Commander Kyle Mason, Systems Alliance Special Forces. Glad to be of service, Captain. First things first, we need to discuss our plan of action. The Espheni use technology that widely relies on 'Shock and Awe' factors. During the Espheni War, they used EMPs to knock out our tech," the Commander explained. "I assume the civilian tech isn't built to resist such attacks?"

Captain Pallin shook his head in response. "C-Sec doesn't even use that kind of advanced shielding. We'd be stopped dead in the water." Commander Mason nodded, and appeared to be thinking.

"The Systems Alliance has been preparing to fight the Espheni for nearly a century, Captain, and we've worked a way around EMP blasts. It is my understanding that you use comm buoys to communicate, correct?" Pallin nodded. Mason pulled out a device of some kind and handed it to the turian. "This device will project a field that resists EMP strikes. Unfortunately, it only projects a field as big as its transmitter, and this will only create a small infantry projection."

"Hook it up to the buoy, and we'll get a bigger transmitter," Pallin realized, and Mason smiled in response. "How much space will that cover?"

"A prediction… only about one arm. Get one of these to every buoy on the arms, and each should be protected. Those in between the arms, however, will be exposed. You need to evacuate all vehicles currently in transit, or they'll… not make it. Got it?" Pallin nodded, picked up the device and four more exact copies of it from the soldiers that surrounded Mason, and rushed off to get them in position. "He's quick on his feet. I like him."

"The turians are formidable opponents. I fear the Espheni may have bitten off more than they could chew yet again," Adam laughed. "You'd think they'd have learned the last time." Before Mason could offer a reply, a loud, ear piercing scream filled the wards, causing everyone to take a look at the battle raging up above. "What the hell was that?"

"Not sure…" Mason muttered, unable to place the sound. "Doesn't sound like skitter, though." Large objects ejected from the smooth, silver Espheni ships faster than the Citadel Defense Fleet could shoot them down, and they began plummeting to the wards. Most of them appeared to be focused on the Presidium, which was ultimately the smartest decision. Once the EMP went active, you couldn't cross the gap between arms. The only link to each other would be through the central ring. You cut that off, you isolate the arms.

The sound of impacting pods could be heard booming from across the arms, and C-Sec officers grew more frantic, moving away from the human arrivals and towards the new foes that had crashed on the Citadel. One of the pods struck a nearby structure, causing the lights to falter slightly and the sound of debris falling to come in from outside. C-Sec guards circled around the entrance, prepared to take on anything that came through that door.

"Arm up, everyone. I want you reinforcing the defensive positions with the C-Sec guards, you hear me?" Mason ordered, and several soldiers confirmed their orders. Mason felt a nagging sensation in the back of his head, like someone trying to access his telecommunication but failing. "No thought-orders on this run, boys. I've got a bad feeling about this…"

To reinforce his point, a screeching noise caused the turians to flinch slightly, as if it was a claw scraping against metal. The sliding metal door into the dock burst open to reveal what Mason could only describe as an insectoid like organism, complete with multiple legs and antenna. The turians froze in the sudden appearance of this creature, but the humans jumped into action. Blue beams of pure energy flew across the room, striking this insect and dissolving its carapace armor with ease. After a few short seconds under this torrent of energy, the creature dropped to the ground as a pile of smoldering ash, nothing left recognizable.

Mason walked up to one of the turians and looked at him in the eye. "Why did you freeze up like that? Have you seen these things before?"

"Yes… well, I personally haven't, but I know of them. That… that was a Rachni…" The name sent a shudder down Mason's spine, and if these militarized species were worried about them, then Mason had the right to be a bit cautious as well.

"Rachni, huh?" Mason muttered. He closed his eyes, accessing the vast archive of information stored within his mind. He began going through the history of the Council, and found the Rachni Wars. After reading it for a few moments, he opened his eyes and turned back to his men. "We're facing an insectoid species of hostile aliens that possess the ability to shoot powerful acid from glands located within those tentacle appendages with external mouths. It is not known whether Adamantium can resist such acid, but I personally don't want to test it." He thought for a second, and turned to the smoldering pile of ash. Hmm… "Next one of these bugs we see, I want it dead, but intact. Got it?"

"Why the hell would you want that?" the turian asked, drawing the attention of the Commander.

"Because, if these things are harnessed, I want to know about it. That could be a game changer. Now, I saw somewhere around ninety to a hundred pods drop, each of them containing several Rachni. About two thirds of them were aimed towards the Presidium, which is bad. We can't lose that position, or we're cut off from the other arms. Get some men on the other pods, but my team will go where we're needed most. And that might be to protect your precious Council." He handed his sidearm to Adam Glass and sent him a telepathic message to stay close. Things were about to get messy.

* * *

Wrex was growing tired of being on the Citadel. He didn't care how much the Shadow Broker was paying him, the lack of excitement and violence was a complete and utter buzzkill. He was sent to gather more intelligence on this 'new species' the Council had announced making contact with, but other than that, he had no idea what to look for.

After drinking another glass of ryncol (I say glass, but the bottles surrounding the Krogan say otherwise), Wrex stood up groggily and made his way towards the exit of the bar. The commotion outside didn't even register in his head until the explosion raged through the street outside. His mouth curved into a sly smile, walked outside, and slid out his shotgun in anticipation. "Bout damn time something interesting happened around here."

C-Sec guards ran through the street, weapons drawn and pointed in the direction of the explosion. He could tell the situation must be bad if the guards run straight passed a Krogan with a shotgun pulled out without notice. Wrex grunted and began walking towards the sound of the explosion, but was immediately faced with what sounded like bullets being fired. The Krogan picked up the pace, and went to see what the commotion was. People were running from the conflict in the distance, but their cries and pleas were drowned out by what happened next.

Now, Wrex hadn't fought in the Rachni War, but he'd experienced the Krogan Rebellions first hand from his father. The history of the Rachni War is something that every Krogan knows about, and the cries of their insectoid nemesis being crushed under boot was something that was passed on from generation to generation. And, if Wrex had to place a visual to the sound he was hearing, it would be that exact image.

The thought of a Rachni on the Citadel sent Wrex into a bit of a blood rage, angered that the enemy the Council had _rewarded _them for killing was actually still alive and kicking. But, when he got there, he didn't see a Rachni being crushed under the foot of the turians 'military might,' but instead, found several half-dissolved turian corpses and a brood warrior very much still alive. And _that_ pissed Wrex off.

Wrex jumped into action, aiming his shotgun at the insect before him and firing several rounds before it overheated. The Rachni flinched from the rounds, but obviously, its carapace armor protected it from too much damage. It turned towards the Krogan, letting out a blood curdling screech when it saw its foe, and prepared to spit a glob of deadly acid at the Krogan, who expertly sidestepped it and prepared another onslaught of mass accelerator rounds.

The Rachni, adamant about preventing Wrex from striking it again, dashed forward and reared its legs, attempting to pierce the Krogan's armor with its sharpened legs. Wrex leaned into the dash, throwing the Rachni off balance and tackling it to the side. He dealt powerful blows repeatedly to the underbelly of the insect, causing it to squeal in pain. Wrex stood up, grabbed the Rachni by its equivalent of a neck. Before he could deal the executing blow, a beam of blue light pierced his blood rage and struck the Rachni in the face, forcing him to drop the Rachni from the force of the strike.

Commander Mason jumped down with a smoking energy rifle, a wide grin spreading across his face as he stared at the Krogan. Wrex has never seen any asari like this before, so he could only assume that this was the new race the Shadow Broker wanted him to learn about. "Impressive. Reminds me of my grandfather during the Espheni Wars. He was the first recorded man to take down a skitter with his bare hands."

"You killing Rachni?" Wrex grunted simply in response.

"Yeah. A whole lot of them are trying to cut off the Presidium, and we were going to head over there to make sure the turians don't get themselves all killed. I take it your in?" the human Commander said, and Wrex thought about it. "Look, you know more about the Rachni then any of us. We could use your help."

"Anyone killing Rachni is alright in my book."

"Good. I'm Commander Mason, Systems Alliance. You'll need something heavier than your peashooter to take out these bastards, since they've no doubt upgraded since you last saw them. Take my shotgun and a few Neutron Scrambler grenades, and that should keep you going."

"Whatever the hell Neutron Scramblers are, they sound damn cool. Gimmie." The commander smiled, handed over his shotgun and a few smooth spheres, and drew what appeared to be an assault rifle in its place. He stared at the Rachni he had shot just a few moments before with a moment of apprehension. "Something wrong?"

"No. Go ahead and scout for more Rachni. We have to keep them off the civilians." Wrex nodded and did as he was told, climbing over a few pieces of rubble to continue forward. Commander Mason looked back at the Rachni on the ground and moved closer. To be sure, he kicked the sucker in the face, ensuring that it was _extremely_ dead. He picked up one side of the Rachni and used all of his strength to flip it onto its back.

Wrex stopped and turned around, looking at this new species with distinct interest. The Commander was staring intently at the back of the Rachni, then twisted his face in a scowl that resembled pure hatred. Wrex recognized that look. He had just used it when he saw the Rachni. Mason bent down and grabbed a hold of something on the Rachni, then yanked with tons of force. In a sickening snap, he pulled what Wrex thought was some kind of spinal armor off of the Rachni. All of them had it, and Wrex never thought anything of it.

Mason held the thing in the air with a look of utter disgust on his face. He turned quickly and saw Wrex staring at him. "I'm afraid you're people have been fighting the wrong enemy, Krogan. The Rachni are innocent."

"I'm pretty sure it was a Rachni there that was trying to kill me, _alien_," Wrex replied with bitterness. "I may be getting older, but I think my eyesight is quite alright."

"Human," the Commander shot back. "We're called human, Krogan. And the Rachni are slaves, being controlled by the Espheni much like we were during our war. See this?" he asked, holding up the strip of armor he pulled off earlier. "This is a Harness. When you put it on something, they do whatever you say. Mindless slaves. The Rachni were and still are being used by the Espheni. Only this time, your people can't kill them off."

"You can talk all you want, human, but if you're telling me to play nice with some bugs, you've got another thing coming," Wrex shouted back. "Now, are we going to squash some insects, or are we going to have a nice little asari tea party with them?"

"Oh, we're going to kill them with extreme prejudice. I just wanted to let you know that I might feel slightly guilty about it afterwards," Mason answered with a grin. Wrex let out a small huff of laughter. He might grow to like these humans…

* * *

During all of the panic to protect the Citadel, no one had the bright idea to do something so simple that it would save countless lives: close the arms. Mason didn't even know if that was possible, but the station appeared to be built like it. Now, it was too late, as the Rachni were running through the streets. Of course, closing it would prevent the Rachni from receiving reinforcements, but at the rate that the C-Sec weapons _weren't _killing the enemies, they wouldn't need reinforcements. At least, not for a while.

Mason had hacked into the turian communication lines relatively easily, which means the Espheni will have done the same. He began monitoring the status of the fleet outside, and the updates were truly surprising. The Espheni ships were obliterating the Citadel Defense Fleet, yes, but every capable vessel was making sure that they paid for every inch of territory they gained. The Alliance Fleet would arrive in a matter of hours, and, unless the Espheni had a wonder weapon, they weren't going to capture the Citadel in a matter of days, let along hours.

The Krogan Mason had picked up had proven to be as deadly as a super mech, charging through the Rachni like they were made of wet tissue. He said his name was Wrex, but anything else about the giant lizard was beyond Mason. But, after the first few engagements with the Rachni, giving up his shotgun had paid for itself. Even at the rate Wrex was going, though, the Rachni still held quite a foothold over C-Sec forces.

Pallin, the turian from earlier, came running up to Mason with a frantic expression on his face. "We attempted to get the devices through the Presidium, since everything we send through the middle is getting annihilated by Espheni Air Support. However, the Rachni have our forces on the Presidium pinned, and we have no way of getting through."

"That's a problem, Captain, because we need those wards to be protected from the EMP blast," Mason replied. "We'll help you push through onto the Presidium, but after that, it's up to you to get the devices to the buoys before the blast."

"Got it. Anything you can help us with?" he asked, and Mason thought. These people were fighting their hardest, but it wasn't enough. The technological prowess of the Espheni combined with the ferocity of the Rachni was getting to them. Perhaps… perhaps they could do with a bit of overkill.

"We've got just the thing," Mason answered, and he opened up a telecommunication uplink with one of the very few token Alliance vessels that were to provide evacuation for the Ambassador out there, aiding the Defense Fleet. "_SSV Weaver's Might_, this is ground team, requesting a mech drop on my position, over."

_"Mech drop en route, ground team, standby,"_ came the response. Over the course of the next few seconds, a beamer from the _Weaver's Might_ flew overhead and dropped three pods. At first, the turians flinched and raised their weapons. Three mechs stood up on their bipedal legs, glowing blue as they came online.

"Mech Units Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie, you now fall under the jurisdiction of Commander Mason, Systems Alliance Special Forces. Push forward towards the Presidium, and kill anything that shoots first," Mason ordered, and the three mechs gave off a ghost like wail to confirm. They turned towards the Presidium ring and their three blue targeting lasers came online.

"Are those… AIs?" one of the turians asked, but Commander Mason cut him off.

"No. Combat Mechs contain very advanced Virtual Intelligences, but we've refrained from giving powerful, walking tanks sentience. Don't worry, they won't fire on you unless I give the order to, but we're on the same team," Mason explained. To reinforce this claim, a mech's targeting laser turned bright orange and let out a stream of pure energy rounds. The sound of a Rachni squealing in pain told the turians that the shots were spot on. "What're the status of the other arms?"

Pallin, still stunned from the frightening display of human power, took a moment to answer. "Zakera Ward was secured during your advance to the Presidium Ring. The Council has been evacuated to a safe zone behind the lines, and we've been trying to push through since. Something is blocking our communications, but from when I last heard, C-Sec forces were containing the dropped Rachni."

"Understood. The Espheni won't deploy their fighters until all of the Citadel Defense Fleet's point-defense lasers are destroyed, granting them complete aerial superiority. That will happen in about three hours, given the current rate of attack. Our ships, while few in number, are their current target, and they'll be focusing on us. Remember, the objective isn't to win, Captain, even if it'd be nice to send the Espheni packing. We want to buy time for the Alliance Fleet."

"If we can get to the Citadel Tower, we should be able to close the arms," Pallin told the human, which brought up the point he was rather pressed about introducing. "That should render their aerial superiority moot, and we can isolate and destroy the Rachni before any other civilians get attacked."

"I sense a but coming, Captain," Mason said, and the turian nodded.

"When the Rachni attacked, the Specters dedicated all of their resources to getting the Council out of there. Most of them were killed, but we've still got a few left. Saren Arterius is currently attempting to get to the controls, but he might need your firepower."

"We'll head there at once, Captain, but I'm not sure if it'll be as effective as you think," Mason replied. "Espheni and Human technology rely on warp technology, allowing us to, essentially, teleport through the galaxy. The closed arms will prevent enemy bombardment of civilian targets using capital ships, but the smaller fighters and bombers can still get in. But that works both ways. Our fighters and bombers can get in and out as well."

"Spirits… how did you survive a war with these people?" Pallin asked, and Mason turned to him with a wide grin on his face.

"Through blood, sweat, and the strength of human endurance. You'll soon learn, Captain, that the human race is a tough bunch of bastards. We'll fight to the last, dying breath before we let anyone strip us of our freewill. And that is something that you can count on."

* * *

The Systems Alliance First Fleet is the most advanced and powerful array of ships the human race has at its disposal. Set to defend the Earth from even the strongest Espheni attack, the First Fleet numbers at hundreds of ships, with new ones being pumped out by the Alliance shipyards every month. When Director Daniel Orion got the call from Ambassador Glass that the Espheni attacked the Citadel Council, he not only saw a moment for diplomatic ties to be made, but also an opportunity to deal a powerful blow to the Espheni.

But the Director wasn't _that _stupid to fall for a ploy such as this. The Espheni were smarter than to just attack a galactic civilization without cause, and Orion new exactly what that cause was. They wanted to take down Earth, and they knew that the Alliance would jump at the chance to help new allies and prove themselves. With the First Fleet being deployed to the Citadel, the capital would be undefended. The Second Fleet was being deployed to Earth, and the Third and Fourth were being spread across the colony worlds. The Fifth was on standby, ready to deploy to the nearest front at a moment's notice. If the Espheni wanted to attack Earth, they were going to pay the price dearly.

They were three hours away from the location known as the Citadel in the Widow Nebula, but they were making good time. Once the Titan-Class ships got moving, it was smooth sailing. Titans, as the biggest ship in the entire Systems Alliance Navy, number only to ten currently in service, and four of them were used within the First Fleet. They also possessed the greatest amount of firepower, using magneto hydrodynamic lasers to tear apart even a Super Carrier apart in a single blast.

The Volm had told the human race that the Espheni spanned the galaxy in an empire that dominated every species. Throughout his career, Orion had begun to doubt that claim, as they hadn't encountered them once until now. Several theories had sprung up, but none of them had any proof. A live captive would've been amazingly useful, but the Espheni rarely pilot their own ships, allowing their captured minions or advanced AIs to do it instead. This made them elusive, and the last captive Espheni in human hands had died near the end of the war. The humans back then weren't so much concerned with the Espheni origins, and more so with how to kill them easier.

He was getting regular reports as to the progress of the battle from Ambassador Glass, and the statistics actually surprised the Director. The turians, while not as advanced as the Espheni, made up for the technological gap with ferocious tenacity and determination. If the Espheni had decided to invade the turian homeworld before they had spaceflight, Orion had no doubt that it would've ended similarly to the human's Espheni War. His thought process was stopped in its tracks when Glass told him that the Rachni, long lost enemy of the Council, had touched down on the Citadel and were harnessed by the Espheni. If the stories about the Rachni were true, then they would make both a valuable ally and a dangerous foe.

"I want Harness Suppression Teams prepared by the time we get to the Citadel. We're going to scour the Citadel for them and ensure that no one gets their hands on that kind of technology. Also, get me all of the data the Citadel has on the Rachni. I want to know where their homeworld is by the end of the day," Director Orion ordered.

"Why, sir?"

"If the Rachni are being harnessed, it is very much possible they have a resistance going on their homeworld, much like we did. We can liberate them and offer them a spot within the Alliance. If they are all harnessed, we can at least do them the favor of putting them out of their misery and stop their flow of troops to the warfront. After we rescue this 'Council,' they will have no choice but to form an alliance with us to fight the Espheni. We can use their galactic spanning empire to fuel our war machine and take the fight to the Espheni, finishing this war _once and for all_."

* * *

Mason had finished dispatching one of the Rachni Brood Warriors that were constantly assaulting the defensive line C-Sec had set up. It was getting down to the nub in terms of when the Espheni were going to deploy the EMP; it had to be at just the right distance in order to cover everything on the Citadel. He walked over the dead Rachni and bent down on one knee to inspect it. This looked… different from the red-hued pictures that the Citadel had of the Rachni. Instead, it gave off a sort of silver color, hinted with rust. Curious, he began scanning the Rachni.

The results came in a matter of seconds. The Rachni had been improved, from what he could tell, with a coating of Adamantium plating. Small enough to almost completely resist mass accelerator rounds, but not thick enough to provide any protection to energy rounds. He flipped the beast over, exposing its underbelly. Just as he thought, it was exposed and without any form of carapace armor at all. If you wanted to kill these things, that was your best shot.

Suddenly, his military training kicked in, and he swung an armored gauntlet behind him while twisting his torso in the same direction. A combat knife, expertly aimed at his throat, was blocked by the adamantium plating, and slid harmlessly off the armor. Mason raised his pistol at his assailant, pointed directly at the hostile's face. The fact that it was a combat knife and not a glob of acid registered, and he turned slowly to see the identity of his attacker.

It was a turian, his face twisted in an expression mixed of surprise and disgust. "You know, I'm not the enemy. If you need some clarification as to who is, you can ask the big bugs running around dissolving everything that moves," Mason told the turian sarcastically.

"I know very well who the enemy is, _human_," the turian replied sharply. "Do you think the Rachni and the Espheni would have attacked the Citadel if you hadn't shown up? They followed you here, and now, innocent people are paying the price for your mistakes."

"The Espheni would've attacked you eventually, it was a matter of _when_. And you're lucky that we arrived when we did, or the Espheni may have very well taken the Citadel. So how about you cool it, and we can focus that hatred you have towards the Espheni instead of the guys trying to kill the Espheni."

The turian appeared to be in thought, but nodded slowly and lowered his weapon. "Saren Arterius, Council Specter."

"Commander Kyle Mason, Systems Alliance Special Forces. Captain Pallin told me that you were trying to close the arms, but I take it that you had no such luck. My team, which will be joining us shortly, will give you that final push to break through the Rachni line," the commander explained, but Saren huffed in response. Mason rolled his eyes and looked directly at the turian with heated eyes. "Look, Saren, I understand that it may be hard to ask for help. Trust me, no one can sympathize more than the human race. But the Espheni isn't someone you can handle alone with mass accelerator weapons. We all need to work together, lend a supporting hand, and make sure that these bastards can't hurt anymore civilians. Understand?"

"The Turian Hierarchy has never faced a foe that it couldn't destroy-"

"But you've never faced the Espheni!" Mason shouted, taking the turian off guard. "The rules of war are gone with the fish heads, and everything becomes a target! If you think they will spare civilians, then you're wrong. They're take your civilians, turn them into soldiers, and pit them against you!"

Before the turian could respond, a figure lunged from the shadows of a nearby alley, taking Mason and Saren by surprise. It wasn't Rachni, so Mason went for a non-lethal attack by striking the figure in the face with the butt of his gun. It went flying back, unmoving, onto the ground, where Saren aimed his weapon. Mason got a better look at the figure, and realized that it was a turian. He used his hand to push Saren's gun down, and crouched next to the figure.

"This is what we are fighting, Saren. A foe that is so cowardly that they use other races as cannon fodder to preserve their own." Mason flipped the turian onto his stomach, and found the clothes ripped to shreds and a glowing yellow parasite pulsing on his back. "We can save some. But we can't save them all."

Mason pulled out a handgun like tool and began lifting the parasite, activating the object. A small blue flame began licking out of the barrel, and the human began to slowly cut off the slug with extreme precision. After a few moments, the parasite was pulled off, and Mason pulled out a syringe. The turian began making sudden movements, as if it was having a seizure. He jabbed the syringe into the civilian, who began to slowly stop and lay still. "What… what did you do?" Saren asked.

"I removed the harness. He will have full control after the drug supplement takes hold and spreads through his system. He's lucky that he didn't attack in the heat of battle; sometimes you have no other option besides kill innocent harnessed civilians." He turned to Saren, and looked at him in the eye. "Let's kill these bastards."

"Yeah. Let's."

* * *

**CODEX:  
(A/N: That's right! I'm staring a CODEX!)**

**Titan: The biggest ship in the Systems Alliance Navy, the Titan is quite literally a mobile fortress. Because of the amount of Adamantium that is required to be synthesized, the Titan is extremely expensive to create, and, as such, there are only ten in existence. It boasts magneto hydrodynamic cannons that use pure energy to tear hulls apart at amazing distances. Despite this, the massive size and weight of the ship cause it to move extremely slowly, and it cannot dodge impacts at all.  
**

**Systems Alliance Special Forces: Also known as the Marauders, the Special Forces are specifically trained to counter Espheni tactics. Because of this, they are usually the first to touch down before the main fighting force arrives in order to contain the situation and prepare it for a long battle. They are equipped with the top of the line technology the Alliance comes out with, and are well-respected within their community.**

**Harness Suppression Team: Formed to quell the potential of harness technology spreading, the Harness Suppression Team was designed to hunt down and literally burn all traces of harnesses. They are equipped with handheld tools to remove harnesses and stabilize the victim. Because of the nature of a harness, the HST's are also used to counter piracy and slavery within Alliance space.**

* * *

**A/N: So I decided to add that Codex bit whenever I introduce new technology (you haven't even seen what I've got prepared) just to help you as well as myself to keep things straight. Now for review questions!**

**Edboy4926: Awesome intro. Looking forward to more. Congrats on being the first one to write this type of crossover. Any chance that with the tech Earth has now they could help out the Quarians with their immune systems?**

A: Theoretically, yes, it could. It cured Ricky of his Cystic Fibrosis in the series, which from what I understood, nearly crippled him on a daily basis. The Harness Technology could be used to save the Quarians, but the question isn't if it can, it's if the humans will be willing to share that kind of technology. It's obviously extremely dangerous in the wrong hands.

**Nukeman: Not bad. Make the aliens be I bit more spiteful of human and there AIs and advence tech, but not bad.**

A: I've danced around how I want the Council to react for awhile (awhile for me is like an hour) and I settled on that. The Council shouldn't look at the gap in technology with jealousy, but instead with opportunity. Now, if the humans had used that technology to kill them, then I'd understand. I agree, though, AIs are a rather controversial topic for the Council, but they had already recognized the Systems Alliance as a sovereign nation. What the humans do is their business, and they can't do anything about it.

**That's it for this chapter, folks. Keep reviewing, and if you have any other questions, ask them! I'll answer them in the next chapter! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This one is a bit shorter, but it brings the Battle for the Citadel Arch to a close, which is pretty sweet. I got some pretty positive reviews last chapter, which is always nice, so keep it up! I like to hear feed back!**

* * *

The battle in orbit wasn't going well for the Citadel Defense Fleet, as the Espheni were taking out their ships at an alarming rate. If they didn't close the arms soon, then the Espheni would be free to use orbital bombardment and eliminate large groups of resistance fighters. The fighting on the ground, however, stayed slightly in favor of the C-Sec forces, as they were able to contain the Rachni with difficulty. Mason looked at Saren, who nodded back, checking his newly equipped energy weapon given to him by one of the Alliance Special Forces soldiers.

Mason and his team popped out of cover, immediately spraying down a Rachni with pure energy and severely damaging another. Saren came out of his tactical cloak behind the Rachni and placed the barrel to its head, releasing a torrent of heat into the creature's skull. Nothing could survive something like that, Mason thought, and he had to give it to the turian for being brutal. That was something the Alliance looked for in a soldier: the ability to complete objectives under extreme conditions and get favorable results, regardless of the casualty rate. Saren, he could tell, was much in the same.

Wrex grappled onto a Rachni and snapped one of its limbs, much to Mason's surprise. They were reinforced with adamantium, which made them nearly impenetrable to anything but energy weapons, so Wrex possessed an insane amount of strength. The krogan then began to glow a violet-blue, and a shockwave of energy burst out of his hands, disorienting the crippled Rachni. Then, he took the Rachni limb still in his massive hands and uppercut the insect with its own appendage, the adamantium slicing through the weakened neck. The Rachni shuddered and dropped to the floor, about as dead as dead gets. Wrex glanced at the limb in his hand in surprise, and looked to Mason. "I'm keeping this."

"Be my guest," Mason replied, somewhat jealous that he doesn't have the reinforced adamantium limb of an enemy as his melee weapon. Several more Rachni crawled out from the darkness, emitting a war cry that caused the team to flinch in surprise. "Neutron grenade, going out!" Mason shouted, pressing the button and tossing a spherical device at the new group of hostiles. The grenade exploded in a flash of light, and the neutron bombardments quite literally dissolved the Rachni at a cellular level. Not even adamantium could withstand such an assault.

"Come on," Saren said, pointing towards a huge tower looming above them. "The controls to the Citadel Arms are in there. If we can get inside, I'll be able to close them." Mason nodded and relayed the orders to his team.

"Alright, everyone. You are all on overwatch. Make sure that nothing comes in behind us. We only need a small strike team to get to the controls, so we need you to ensure that more Rachni won't come surprising us. Any questions?" He didn't have to designate someone to lead the squad, since the ability to see out of another's eyes and hear their thoughts allowed each soldier to be a representative of Mason. When no one brought anything up, he dismissed them, and they formed a half circle around the entrance of the tower.

Wrex, Mason, and Saren all entered the tower and immediately encountered resistance. This was, however, not the characteristic acid of Rachni, but the familiar clicking of mass accelerator weapons. His shields began to flare, and the human's armor began to ping from bullet impacts. "Get down!"

Mason and Wrex had already jumped into action, Wrex erecting a barrier to block the incoming rounds and Mason laying down suppressive fire. Saren activated his tactical cloak and snuck around behind the enemies in cover, only to find several C-Sec guards responsible for the shooting. He was about to deactivate his cloak and tell them to stop when he noticed the glowing yellow slugs on their backs. Saren cursed silently, and snuck back around to Mason. "C-Sec guards, but their harnessed. Any way you can take them out without killing them?"

"I've got a concussion grenade, which should knock them out. I can remove the harnesses, but the fact that the damn slugs are here mean one thing: a skitter is nearby, controlling them. I'll handle the harnesses, but I want you to scout on ahead and find the bastard." Saren nodded and once again slipped into the shadows. Mason primed the grenade and tossed it into where the turians were hiding in cover. A loud pop filled Mason's ears, and the gunfire immediately ceased. The commander vaulted over his cover and ran to the unconscious turians with his harness removal tool ready. He quickly got to work, and used the last of his two drug supplements.

"Unlucky bastards…" Wrex muttered quietly as Mason jabbed the first turian with the needle. "Not even the turians deserve this kind of fate."

"I take it you don't like the turians," Mason said with a chuckle, but Wrex returned his joke with a glare. "Hey, I don't like what they did either. Could've been handled a lot better, if you ask me. But the turians need to swallow their pride and fix the mistake they've caused, and the krogan need to forgive that mistake and not blow them apart afterwards."

"They neutered my race, human. I couldn't expect you to understand something like that."

"You mean a technologically superior race wiping out 90% of your race? I think the human race can relate a bit, Wrex, even if we weren't sterilized like you were." Mason injected the next drug into the last turian, and they both ceased moving. "And look at us now. We've got the Council trembling at our feet, and our long lost enemy frantically trying to subdue our new allies. I'd say we've come far from the Espheni War."

"But you aren't forgiving the Espheni for what they did, Mason. You're going to war with them, probably going to murder every last one of them too. It doesn't seem like you're in the position to be giving me advice." Mason was stunned at how _right_ Wrex was. He quickly shook it off and turned to the krogan behind him.

"This is different, Wrex. You have the chance to make things better, to negotiate with the turians and make them listen. There is no contacting the Espheni and asking to negotiate for peace. The only option with them is for war." Mason paused to check his surroundings, searching for hostiles. "Let old blood die, and forge a _new _future for your people."

"That may not be an option, Mason. Some stains can't be removed." Before Mason could reply, his communicator beeped quietly in response to a new message. All it said was 'Urgent, Require Assistance. –Saren.'

"Our turian pal needs some help. Ready to kick some Espheni ass?"

"It is a challenge I look forward to."

* * *

Ambassador Glass was calm. In fact, he was the calmest person in the room. The C-Sec guards and civilians running around only spread the panic around faster. He made his way towards the bunker that the Council was currently hiding in after their evacuation from their Chambers. The guards let him in, and he walked in with the full intentions of figuring out how dedicated they were to this war.

"Ambassador Glass, nice to see you _alive_," Sparatus spat with hostility, which Adam wasn't expecting at all.

"This isn't his fault, Sparatus. The human race is not responsible for the actions of the Espheni. Plus, we invited them to the Citadel for negotiations. If you want to point fingers, then you have only to point at ourselves," Tevos replied sharply, and the turian huffed in response. "My apologies, Ambassador Glass, we're all a bit on edge."

"Oh, it is quite alright, Councilors. The Espheni have that effect on people. I came to discuss matters regarding your answer to my question earlier; you agreed to aid us in our war, but I wish to know in what way," Glass explained.

"An attack on the Citadel is not something we take lightly, Ambassador, so we are at war with the Espheni in much the same way you are. We will dedicate large amounts of manpower, ships, and resources to the war front," Tevos replied, but Glass held up a hand to stop her.

"We appreciate that very much, Councilor, but that wasn't what I was looking for. You see, your weapons and ships aren't effective against the Espheni at all, and the rise of your ancient enemy puts you at a grave disadvantage. So, the Earth Systems Alliance is ready with a proposal that you may very well have no choice to accept," Glass told them, which obviously angered the turian most of all.

"You dare make demands of the-"

"Let me finish, Sparatus, and then you can proceed to scold my ignorance," Glass interrupted. "The Alliance has already given you adamantium for your ships, but that will only help your defensive standpoint. We are prepared to give you schematics to infantry-grade energy weapons in exchange for a very large favor."

"And what might that favor entail?" Tevos asked, slightly annoyed at the human for his abrasive behavior.

"The Salarian Union must release the cure to the genophage, allowing the krogan to reproduce and begin attacking the Rachni. They did it once, they can do it again. And, this time, you cannot reuse the genophage afterwards. The krogan will be seen as a people, not as a liability." Valern immediately shook his head and stopped the human ambassador.

"Genophage nonnegotiable, human. The long term effects of curing krogan will ultimately lead to more chaos than Espheni war. Must be another option." Glass shook his head in response, performing an action that resembled his hand blocking his eyes and mouth.

"Look, this war just got a lot more complicated. It is time to let old hostilities die and forge new alliances. The krogan are people, just like you and I, and we _need _them. Not as a tool, and not as a military, but as a people! The Rachni will swarm your defenses, and you won't be able to do a damn thing about it. And, when death comes knocking, you'll have regretted this decision."

The Councilors were silent, unable to analyze what they were hearing fast enough. Valern was the first one to speak up. "Salarian Union agrees to terms on one condition. After Rachni are gone, genophage will be reused with modified attributes. Krogan sterility rates will be significantly less, but full krogan reproduction rates will devastate galaxy."

"The Systems Alliance can agree to the term on the condition that Alliance scientists get to be part of the team to ensure the bargain is held up."

"Unacceptable. Genophage is closely guarded secret, the repercussions of releasing that technology to the Alliance is not in best interests of the Salarian Union," Valern replied, which caused a laugh out of Glass.

"The Alliance has mastered the science of genetic modification, Councilor. We could write twelve different genophage cures in a month. I wasn't asking you for permission to use the cures, I was allowing you to be the ones to release the krogan from their bonds. Your standing with them will be much better. If you had declined, then we would have done it anyway. The Council can't afford a war on two fronts."

"YOU LITTLE-" Sparatus shouted, jumping up from his seat and pointing a judging finger at the human representative.

"It's called politics, Sparatus. But it matters not what we would have done, because I knew you would see that I am right, and that the best course of action is to free the krogan. You are giving their race a second chance, and, should they choose to abuse that privilege, the Alliance will send them back to their hidey holes on Tuchanka personally." Glass tapped at his wrist for a few seconds, then presented the Council with a hologram. "The schematics for infantry grade weapons, as promised."

Valern began typing on his omnitool as well, and presented the human with a hologram as well. "As a show of good faith, infantry-grade shielding. Promised earlier during negotiations, but attack put off actual trade."

"You have my thanks."

* * *

Wrex and Mason reached the level that had the Council Chambers, and found the area to be in one hell of a state. Bodies of different aliens, varying from asari to turian and even a hanar. "Jesus Christ, this is a slaughterhouse," Mason muttered as he exited the elevator. Wrex cleared a path with his massive legs, kicking bodies out of the way and forming a trail.

"The turian could be any one of these, Mason," Wrex grumbled, but Mason shook his head.

"No skitter trails," Mason replied, much to the confusion of the krogan next to him. "When a skitter, or a Chimera, controls the harnessed people, they give off a sort of telepathic signal. That signal lingers for a bit, and can be picked up by those who know what to look for. I know what to look for, and I haven't found anything."

"You fucking humans are weird," Wrex muttered, and Mason laughed quietly. "We don't need the turian to close the arms. You have a translator, I'm sure you could figure it out."

"Ever heard of 'no man left behind?'" Mason asked, and Wrex let out a deep sigh. "Scan for life signatures in the area, try to find him. I'm going to get schematics to the Citadel and find out where these damn controls are." Wrex nods and begins to run some scans on his omnitool. Mason downloaded the layout of the Citadel Tower and slowly began to analyze the contents.

"Mason, I'm picking up one massive signature accompanied by two smaller ones near a console," Wrex reported, which pulled Mason right out of what he was doing. "The big one is giving off strange readings…"

"Espheni…" Mason grunted under his breath, and drew his weapon. Prepare for a fight, Wrex, because we're going to get one! Towards the console, on me!" The commander sprinted towards where the signatures were, and found a large computer terminal with three figures around it. One turian, one Chimera, and one Espheni.

"What the fuck is that…?" Wrex muttered when he saw the large, elongated form of the Espheni Overlord.

"A motherfucking fish head," Mason replied. He got a better look at the turian next to them and realized that he looked familiar. Really familiar. "Shit. He's got Saren…"

"This is a war you can't win, human," Saren said, taking both Wrex and Mason by surprise. The Overlord was talking through the turian, something which deeply disturbed the duo. "Fighting us is hopeless. It would do you good to give in to our rule."

"We both know that isn't the truth, you bastard. We scared you shitless after we drove you off of Earth, and now you want to get some payback! Well guess what, you blubbery skitter fucker. You messed with the _wrong species!_" Mason shouted back, and Wrex couldn't help but smile at the human.

"If you think that this is a war of conquest, human, then you are foolish. The Espheni do not wage war without cause, such as you humans do. We are preparing for the End, gathering and creating troops from races that are far inferior to be of any other use," Saren replied. "We almost lost to the Ancient Ones before, but now, we are prepared."

"You can give reason to your war as much as you want, but that doesn't change the fact that you are murdering, heartless bastards. You won't worry about the Ancient Ones for long when the Alliance comes crashing through your door!"

"You don't understand. The Citadel is a-"

"Wrex, now!" Mason shouted, giving Wrex the signal. The massive krogan charged with his biotics into the Espheni, knocking the creature into the air and catapulted a few feet away. Saren was stunned, unable to do anything without the will of his master. Mason tackled the chimera, stabbing it multiple times with his adamantium combat knife. While it was writhing in pain, he dealt the final blow by taking the knife and jabbing it into the nerve bundle located in its mouth. The chimera gave a blood curdling screech, then dropped lifeless.

Wrex had put his massive foot on top of the Espheni, forcing him to stay down on the ground. Mason hated the Espheni, but he knew how valuable a live Overlord was to Alliance Command. "RELEASE ME!" Saren shouted from behind Mason, aiming his weapon at the commander.

"You're more valuable alive, Overlord. I'm afraid that isn't an option."

Suddenly, Saren dropped to the ground and began having compulsions, like his harness had become severed and he didn't receive the drug supplement. Mason ran over and rolled the turian onto his back, seeing the harness periodically blinking an ominous red. The Overlord had set his harness to, essentially, self-destruct.

"Let him go!" Mason shouted, earning a chuckle from the Overlord. Now, with Saren out of the picture, the Overlord had no one to communicate through. "Let him go or I'll blow your fucking head off!" Mason pointed his pistol at the Overlord, who just grew silent. A single word rang through his head.

"No."

The sound of energy discharging from Mason's handgun filled the room, and the Overlord's face was reduced to nothing more than a pile of steaming ash. Wrex remained silent, watching the commander run up to Saren and check for vital signs. "He's alive. He's alive…"

"You gave up valuable intelligence to save the worthless turian?" Wrex asked, but Mason waved him off.

"The Espheni was controlling Saren, which means Saren knows everything the Espheni knows. Once he wakes up, he'll have full control and be able to willingly share the information he got from this bastard." Mason stood up, walked over to the large computer terminal, and began typing away. The alien language was translated through the implant in his mind, and he quickly found the option to close the arms. Meanwhile, Saren began to wake, but the harness was still on, and Mason was out of drug supplements. So, he walked over to the turian and said, "Sorry buddy." He kicked the turian hard enough to knock him out cold, and Wrex let out a loud belly laugh.

From the view in the tower, the arms began to close, severing the Espheni and the Citadel Defense Fleet from the station itself. Just as it was closing, Mason could see the small, white glimpses of a fleet arriving through warp speed. The First Fleet had made it. He looked down and saw C-Sec, along with his own troops, charging through the line the Rachni had established and making their way to the other wards. Within a few minutes, the arms were protected from EMPs, and the entire Citadel was a fortress, beckoning for the Espheni to even try cracking. Now backed into a corner with the Alliance First Fleet and the remaining Citadel Defense Fleet, the Espheni were being slaughtered into oblivion.

The battle had been won. The Citadel was safe from Espheni attack.

But the war had just begun.

* * *

**A/N: And BOOM! Battle for the Citadel is over! Next chapter, we sort of return to the normal Mass Effect timeline, but not really... it's hard to explain without spoiling it, so I'll just stop right there. Question Time!**

**Evelsaint93: Esphini a survivor of reaper harvest?**

A: I can say this, since it was pretty much written into the chapter. Yes, the Espheni survived the Reaper harvest, but _barely_. It took them awhile to get back on their feet, and that's why the Council hasn't run into them yet. We'll dive more into Espheni-Prothean relations as the story progresses, but I have tons of plans for that!

**Kaioo: Didn't the Council kill a bunch of peaceful AI because they expressed that they wanted Sentient rights or whatever? It was in some archive thing or whatever in ME3 I believe?**

A: I don't know about Mass Effect 3, but I do know that there was a rogue AI that achieved sentience on Luna, and that whole shabang really went well for the Alliance. Other than that and the Geth, I don't know about any other incidents like that. But I didn't really play Mass Effect 3 other than for the story, so the side missions went right over my head. I'll have to revisit those...


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Woo, so this was a huge week for me. Yesterday, I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout after five years of hard work, so that means that all the time I spent doing paperwork can now be spent doing other stuff I enjoy, such as writing or gaming. School starts soon, so that'll be fun (not), but that shouldn't slow me down, since one of my classes is Composition, and the requirements involve writing weekly. I asked my teacher if I could turn stuff like this in (he's a fan of Mass Effect and actually _loved _last chapter) so that's pretty awesome. Anyway, tons of stuff in this chapter, so I'll stop talking.**

* * *

Saren woke up, gasping for air. It was progress, Mason thought, since he'd been unconscious for five hours. Usually people freed from harnesses woke up in half an hour, sometimes two, but even that was pushing it. The turian reached in the air, grasping at something that Mason couldn't see, and let out a hoarse cry. A nurse rushed into the room with a glass of water, and attempted to get Saren to drink it. The turian frantically swatted the glass away, causing the nurse to yelp with surprise and for Mason to jump into action. While doctors and nurses were running around, trying to stabilize the situation, Mason restrained the turian with a powerful, iron-like grip.

"Whoa there, turian. You've got to calm down," Mason told Saren, who began to slow his flailing. "You were harnessed. I freed you. Nod if you are in control of your actions." The turian nodded slowly in response, but continued to shake in a near constant like shiver. "Good. Get some rest, Spectre, and I'll be back to debrief you once you're stabilized."

Mason walked outside of the turian's room and found himself wandering the hallways aimlessly, surrounded by aliens. He wasn't sure how he felt about them yet, to be honest, but his friendship with the krogan and the turian had formed the strongest type of bond: the bond forged in battle. But, after the Human-Espheni War (renamed due to the fact that the Council-Espheni War had begun), the entire human race was left with a sour taste in their mouth after talking to anything that wasn't human. Even after a century of living with the free Chimeras and the Volm, he still had trouble trusting them.

While lost in thought about recent events, Mason walked out of the hospital and looked to the sky. The last of the Espheni ships were drifting in shambles, and the Alliance was helping the Council forces rescue turian crews and survivors. Reconstruction of the Citadel had begun, but to be honest, there wasn't much damage to talk about. The pods had caused a lot of structural damage, but the pods were so few in number that the Citadel would be restored in a few months, at most. The Presidium was a different story, and the Council had taken up residence on the Zakera Ward until they were free to go back.

A squad of human soldiers ran past Mason, saluting him as they jogged. Mason smiled at the presence of a friendly face. More and more humans were showing up, but the civilians had yet to arrive. At this point, 99% of the humans in Council Space were military related, and the other 1% were volunteers to help the Citadel rebuild. A friendly face appeared next to him, and Mason immediately shook hands with the official ambassador to the Alliance. "Nice to see you alive, Adam. Hope the Rachni weren't too much for you."

"What, after you ditched me with the alien politicians? I think the Rachni were the least of my issues." The two fell silent, watching the Alliance Gunships fly by quickly, ferrying supplies in their limited cargo holds. Human ships were known for their deadly abilities, not their transporting space. "You did good today, Mason. Real good."

"I just followed orders, Adam, you know that," Mason replied.

"Actually, you didn't," Adam said, which made Mason look up at him in surprise. "Your orders were to protect the Alliance Ambassador and the Citadel Council, not save the day. Technically, you disobeyed orders. I'm going to have to court martial you for that."

"Like they would give the Ambassador the ability to court martial…" Mason muttered, but glanced at Adam in anticipation. "They don't, do they?"

"If they did, I would've locked your ugly ass up years ago," Adam replied with a laugh. "You know, High Command is talking, but it's all very hush-hush. They're looking for a new Berserker, Mason, and you'd fit the bill."

"Berserker, huh? I thought they disbanded Pope's regiment after the Human-Espheni War ended…" Mason asked. "They didn't want outlaws running around with guns and trigger-happy fingers. Pope's gang was the first and last of them."

"Officially, yeah. Unofficially, the Berserkers are cold blooded killers who operate on their own, using whatever they want to get jobs done. Kind of like Council Spectres, but you can't break laws in order to complete objectives. If you and that turian Spectre you found team up, then you can operate without worry in both Alliance and Council Space. With this war coming, we may need someone like that."

"Well, tell them I don't want it. I'd rather just get my Star of Terra and call it a day. Tomorrow, I'll BBQ a few steaks, pop open a cold one, and relax. Quit while I'm ahead, so to speak," Mason said, but the hint of laughter behind the statement made Adam realize he was kidding.

"Look, I'm just relaying the message, Kyle. Your first mission, should you choose to accept it, will involve escorting a diplomatic envoy to Tuchanka to explain the situation with the Espheni and repair relations between them and the Council."

"And sending a soldier equipped with overkill weapons will help relations?" Mason asked suddenly. "Not the right way to go about things, Adam. Shame. You should know better."

"You have to protect the envoy. The krogan may very well kill the diplomats without some… incentive."

"And why shouldn't they? What the Council did to the krogan was atrocious, borderline Espheni. If they had pulled that stunt on us, the human race would cry for blood. Now, I'm no psychiatrist, but I'm pretty sure that we're more levelheaded than the krogan. A bunch of aliens showing up on their doorstep, suddenly with the cure in hand… they'll think it's a trap, and they won't bite," Mason explained, and Adam nodded.

"So, what do you propose?"

"They need someone they can trust. One of _them_. They'll trust another krogan, especially if he establishes dominance with the other clans. He'll have to be strong, and we'll have to trust him that he won't lead the krogan on a campaign on the Council after they get their numbers back," Mason replied, but Adam shook his head.

"And do you have a krogan like that in mind?"

"Yes, actually. I'll talk to Urdnot Wrex, he seemed to be reasonable. And then… then… aw shit, I just agreed to go on the mission, didn't I?" Adam nodded while stifling a laugh. "You and your damn politician-ness. I hate you."

"Don't worry, Kyle. I hear Tuchanka is nice this time of year."

"Fuck."

* * *

Professor Lucas Aaron arrived on the Citadel on the wishes of Director Orion with a single goal in mind: teaching. Now, this, of course, wasn't a normal teaching job. Instead, he was tasked to catch the Council races up to speed in terms of Espheni tactics, technology, and the races that composed their Empire. He was also here to discuss the Protheans and their involvement in Citadel Space, hoping to discover if they had any interaction with the Espheni.

Immediately after he walked off of the human transport, he was face to face with a wide assortment of different species. The prime race present, however, was a slim species with bulging eyes that Lucas had come to know as the salarians. "You have my greetings, fellow scientists."

"Pleasure speaking to you," the head salarian scientist told him. "Look forward to mutual exchange. Human and Espheni technology very interesting. Suggest getting started immediately." Huh, Lucas thought. They sure don't waste time getting started.

"By all means. My name is Professor Lucas Aaron, lead Alliance scientist on Espheni Tactics and Technology. I will start by going over the history of the Human-Espheni War and their tactics during the long engagement. Do you have an area where we would be more comfortable?" Aaron asked, and the salarian nodded. He led Aaron to a nearby building, with a room that contained a large circular table.

Aaron's escort of guards, much to his dismay, followed him to the building and flanked him as he went to the front of the room. He understood their hesitance at trusting these aliens, but the fact still annoyed him. "Just following orders, professor," the guard said, waving Aaron off every time he attempted to request their leave.

"During the war, the Espheni utilized tactics that resembled a saying within the human race known as 'Shock and Awe.' They used their superior technology to cripple our military, primarily relying on Electromagnetic Pulses to knock out or defenses. When they encountered heavy resistance within our major cities, they used Neutron Bombs, which incinerated entire cities within seconds. After six months of prolonged warfare, 90% of the human race was wiped from existence."

"Where do Chimeras and Volm come in?" the head salarian, Doctor Torris, asked.

"The Chimera are Espheni soldiers, other races conquered and turned into a biological slave forced to do their master's bidding. This was accomplished through a harness, which slowly converts the cellular coding from one race to Chimera. Several Chimera broke free of their slavery and formed the Skitter Rebellion, which later formed into the Chimera Federation once the war was over," Lucas explained as he watched the entranced scientists with slight humor. "The Volm joined us once a resistance force known as the Second Massachusetts destroyed an Espheni anti-orbital cannon on the surface of the planet.

"When that was accomplished, the cloaked Volm refugee ships in orbit dropped pods containing Volm scientists on the surface of Earth, who gave us the secrets to Energy Weapons to better fight the Espheni. The Volm were cast offs from their world, kicked off by the Espheni and forced into a fleet of exiles. When they found us in our war, they decided to help."

"And how did the Espheni react to this?" an asari matriarch, known as Benezia, asked.

"The Espheni are known to underestimate their foes greatly, given as how they've never lost a war since they attacked us. They deployed a weapon known as the Espheni Defense Grid, which prevented more Volm reinforcements from dropping in and would also lead to the elimination of every life form on the surface of the Earth within three months of its activation," Aaron replied, which caused everyone in the room to gasp.

"Such a weapon… it would devastate the Council core worlds beyond repair…" Benezia muttered in shock, to which Aaron nodded. "And you possess this technology as well?"

"We possess the means to use it, yes, but such warfare is banned by the Systems Alliance. Also, the weapon is extremely inefficient unless you have complete and utter dominance of the surface of the planet, and even then... it is still shaky in its effectiveness. After we destroyed it, the last of the Volm in orbit dropped in and constructed orbital cannons, forcing the Espheni Fleet to retreat. Unfortunately, the Volm vessel was the only one present, and it died protecting the surface of the Earth from the Espheni orbital bombardment."

"But the Volm are part of the Alliance today. If that were the case, surely the last of the Volm would've died out unless the ship in question was a live ship and possessed large amounts of Volm refugees," the asari said.

"It was a military ship, not a live ship. The rest of the Volm were aboard the Volm Exiled Fleet, whose location was unknown at the time. We found them later, invited them to Earth, and adopted them into our community. Once the Fleet was no longer an issue, the Systems Alliance captured and killed all remaining Espheni on Earth, and released the chimera from their bonds."

"Interesting…" Doctor Torris said. "We have looked through schematics regarding energy weapons, and we are quite impressed. All known metals currently possessed by Council can't contain massive amounts of heat generated by handheld versions. But Adamantium has opened up large amounts of… possibilities."

"As has Element Zero for us," Lucas replied. "Now, if you may, I have a few questions myself. Largely regarding the science behind the Mass Relays and Element Zero. First… have you been able to replicate the mass relays created by the Protheans?"

"No. We have tried, but have had no success. The entire Mass Relay network is already in place, and most of it remains unexplored. We have no need to replicate it when the current system is sufficient as it is," Torris replied.

"Hmm… I would like to present an idea… a theory, actually. The captured Espheni back during the war told us that they were invading us to prepare for a war against the Ancient Ones. Now, we have no idea what this means, and they refused to explain. But from what we could gather, the Ancient Ones nearly wiped out the Espheni approximately 50,000 years ago, sending them back into the Stone Age," Aaron told them, which caused them to gasp in surprise.

"You believe these… Ancient Ones… wiped out the Protheans as well?" Benezia asked, and Aaron nodded. "Do you have evidence to back up these claims?"

"Unfortunately, no. As I said, it was a theory. For all we know, the Ancient Ones were the Protheans warring against the Espheni, and the Protheans still had their freak 'disappearance.' Or they could be skulking in the shadows, waiting for the Espheni to return and finish them off. I don't know, and we don't have enough data on the 'Ancient Ones' to come to a conclusion," Lucas explained. "But we have facts, and we have theories. The facts are that something nearly wiped out the Espheni 50,000 years ago, and the Protheans disappeared around the same time. Anything else… we can only speculate."

"Not if we contact the Espheni," Torris said, but Lucas shot him a look. "Living organisms that can retell the entire story of the Protheans. Such information would send ripples through the scientific community."

"The Espheni would rather harness you and force you to pick up scrap metal than depart with such information, Doctor. But, yes, I agree. Figuring out the origins of the Protheans and the Espheni coincide quite closely. Figuring one out would solve the other. But we must seek another route than negotiating with the Espheni, because the only deal they will accept would be one containing everyone in chains," Lucas finished. "Now, are there any other questions?"

"One, yes. What does the Alliance plan to do with the many shipments of Element Zero that the Council has dedicated towards your borders?" Benezia asked.

"Unfortunately, I am not allowed to discuss military affairs," Lucas replied. "However, I am allowed to disclose the fact that, using extensive genetic manipulation, we should be able to create artificial biotics. Any human, Chimera, and Volm currently in existence would be able to manipulate mass effect fields."

"You are planning to create biotic soldiers to use against the Espheni?"

"Not just the Espheni. Plans to create an entire Biotic Corps are in the experimental stage, and plans are being drawn up as we speak. The Espheni have never seen anything like biotics, and the Systems Alliance is going to use every advantage we can. This isn't a war that can be won with a wonder weapon. We're going to need guns, soldiers, and ships. Lots of them. And we have to make sure that we have more than the Espheni, or the galaxy may very well face enslavement."

* * *

Saren's eyes opened slowly, his head pounding so hard he felt like the spirits were punishing him. He vaguely remembered what happened, fighting during the Battle of the Citadel and finding the console to close the arms… beyond that, it was a blur. He figured he must have been injured during the fighting, given the fact that he was in a hospital room. He needed answers, and fast.

As if on cue, Commander Mason walked into the room with a frown on his face. "Oh, Saren. Good to see you up and about. I've been meaning to-"

"What happened to me?" Saren interrupted. Mason's frown turned to a grin, and he sat down next to the turian on his bed.

"You, my friend, got the worst of it. You got harnessed by an Overlord, which means that you held quite amazing powers over the Espheni troops. Luckily, I ripped it off before you became… permanently under their control." Saren flinched at the words, and ran his hand down his spine. Large metal rods were jetting out, but they were callous and numb. "Don't worry, those are harmless. If you want, an Alliance Specialist can get them removed, but currently, none are available."

"It's… it's fine… Spirits, why does my head hurt so much?"

"When an Overlord harnesses an individual, that person effectively becomes a mobile command station," Mason explained. "All of the intel available to the Overlord is available to the harnessed individual. Since I killed the Overlord before it could sever the link, all of that intel is still jumbled about in your head. Later, once you've recovered, we're going to sift through that information and figure out what the hell the Espheni want."

"Okay…" Saren muttered, not sure what the hell he was talking about. "I guess I have you to thank for… _saving_ my life."

"Nah, just doing my job. Tell you what though, as soon as they clear you, we should head to the bar, have a few rounds. On me. After that, though, I've got to head to… _Tuchanka_…" Mason spat, as if Alliance Command was forcing him to go to the seventh layer of Hell. "You're welcome to join me, although the local wildlife might not appreciate it…"

"Why in the Spirits are you going to Tuchanka?" Saren asked, and Mason let out a loud belly laugh.

"The Council has made a decision to cure the krogan of the genophage to fight the Rachni. I'm supposed to accompany the envoy and Urdnot Wrex, whom you met earlier, and broker a deal with the krogan and adopt them into the Council once again," Mason explained, and during the entire time, Saren's jaw dropped further and further.

"The _Council_ made that decision?"

"Yeah, in exchange for the schematics to infantry-grade energy weapons. We'll need the might of every species to combat the Espheni, and I'll be damned if the krogan aren't strong. Besides, don't you think it's time to put aside bad blood and start new? I mean, none of you guys even fought in the Krogan Rebellions…"

"The krogan will just wage war again! They are out of control, and need to be stopped, not elevated!" Saren shouted in anger, and Mason realized the tone that Saren was using resembled bigotry back on Earth.

"One threat at a time, Saren. Baby steps. The Alliance has already pledged its support in a war against the krogan once the dust settles against the Espheni. Even if we've given you adamantium and energy weapons, we still have the ultimate weapon: genetic manipulation. We can literally genetically engineer a plague that only affects a species and wipes them out in seconds if we wanted. Luckily for you, the Alliance are the good guys."

"But why are _you _going to Tuchanka?"

"The Alliance wants a representative for the human race that isn't liable to get himself killed there to negotiate on behalf of the Alliance. Since I've been promoted to the Spectre-Equivalent in the Alliance, they figured that my first assignment should be to play diplomat with Urdnot Wrex." Mason leaned in closer towards Saren and whispered, "So are you in? Or are you in?"

Saren thought for a moment what he was considering. The krogan were bloodthirsty and brutal, but he saw what the Espheni could do. Hell, he had his mind possessed by one of their parasites, and he was the Council's best Spectre. No doubt they would need someone like the krogan to beat them back. Plus, if the Alliance could negotiate peace between the krogan and the Council, they might find themselves with one less enemy and one more ally. From a purely military standpoint, he could tell that this was a wise decision.

But from a political standpoint, it was going to make the turians look weak. That their choice during the Krogan Rebellions was the wrong one, and that they made mistakes. There was going to be hell to pay for Turian High Command. Not to mention the fact that they would have to say that the krogan were right, and that the turians were wrong. He wasn't even sure if the turians would be able to do that.

Saren weighed the pros and cons, and ultimately, decided that it was worth it. He didn't have to like it, he just had to carry out his orders. He looked at the human and nodded reluctantly, agreeing to join the human to Tuchanka. "I don't like it, Mason. Not one bit. But I've seen what the Espheni can do, and I'm willing to put aside ancient history to deal with a more important threat. _For now._"

"I'll take it. As soon as you're able to get on your feet, we'll board a transport. We won't have any military support, unfortunately, due to the fact that both the Alliance and the Council are gearing up for war. All the nonessential fleets are being mobilized, and being retrofitted with Alliance equipment. The Espheni woke up a sleeping giant, Saren. The technological prowess of the Alliance combined with the sheer amount of raw amazingness that is the Council will tear the Espheni apart."

"Damn straight."

* * *

A human marine was walking through the many corridors of the Citadel, getting acquainted with the new and strange architecture that was definitely alien. His commander had given the team shore leave for the next twenty four hours, so he thought he might do a bit of exploring. What he came across was a strange alien species, walking on four legs and carried a small orange pouch. He remembered these during the briefing… Keepers, they were called. And it was against Council Law to approach one. He casually glanced at the creature, fumbling away at a console, until something caught his eye. Something extremely familiar.

He walked up to the Keeper and saw the parasite on its back, the parasite that had nearly doomed the human race to an existence of servitude as chimeras. But this one… it was different enough to cause the marine to pause. It was black, unlike the familiar bronze color, and pulsed red rather than orange. He carefully kept his distance, looking at the creature with wonder and horror. "Holy shit… you guys are Harnessed!"

After the word 'harnessed,' the Keeper turned to the human marine with a cold stare, as if he had somehow pissed the vigilant worker off. A compartment in the wall opened, and a second Keeper walked out. It, too, had a harness. The human marine, cut off by the two Keepers from both directions, was about to radio the situation in and call for back up. As his hand went towards his communicator, the two Keepers let out a high pitched hiss and lunged.

The marine was caught off guard, and the Keepers tackling from two directions meant he was pinned and could do nothing. The two Keepers continued to emit that shrill hiss, their claws tearing at his adamantium armor. Instead of bouncing off like intended, their claws tore the metal to shreds, and the marine let out a muffled cry as they dug into his flesh with swift strikes. After a few moments of the onslaught, the Keepers stopped, turned around, and continued on their merry way. The human was reduced to nothing more than a pile of meat, his mangled face twisted in an expression that mirrored complete and utter horror.

* * *

**A/N: DUN DUN DUNNN! Lots of cool stuff this chapter, and next one begins the Tuchanka Arch. I also feel as if I didn't quite get Saren's character down this chapter, him being a racist and all, so tell me how I did. Now, if you couldn't tell, I'm trying to build Commander Mason as a Shepard-esque character, but make his story much more... defined. You can see the beginnings of the crew being formed, the bad guys showing up, and the alliances being forged. The Espheni bit off more than they could chew... Question Time!**

**Kaioo: I take it Saren now knows about the Reapers and will inform them? I'm actually hoping for a non-bad guy Saren. Never really seen him played as a good guy before.**

A: I can say this because it should be fully apparent: Saren, in this series, will _not _be the bad guy. In Mass Effect, his character hates the humans because of their aggressive expansionist ideals, but in this, the humans have done nothing to deserve his ire. Too much has changed in this story to continue with the _Saren-is-bad-Shepard-must-stop _plot that a lot of other stories follow. It'll be nice to see his character in a new light.

**Edboy4926: By the way, I just realized, are the Keepers immune to the harness or are the Keepers the original harness product? You didn't play the Citadel DLC? Dude, play it, it's awesome, emotional and a perfect way to say goodbye to the series.**

A: ... Man, I was hoping for that to be kinda difficult to interpret, but you got it before I even released the chapter. Props to you, man, for guessing it. Yeah, they're harnessed, but you'll notice that the harnesses are different. The Espheni had to get the tech to do that from somewhere... And, yeah, I haven't played Citadel DLC yet. I should totally get on that... Shame on me xD.

**Guest: Fish heads (fish heads rolly polly fish heads eatem up yum) wont know what hit them.**

A: Although this isn't a question, it does bring up a point. If you think that I've made the Alliance and Council too powerful, you have to remember that we don't even know what the Espheni actually _have_. Last time anyone saw them was a century ago on Earth, and a century is a long time. If you think this is going to be a one-sided slaughter, you could be right. But the real question is... which side is doing the slaughtering, and which one is being slaughtered?


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry for the delay on this one, it was supposed to be out yesterday. I took all of your advice and played the Citadel DLC, and all of you are completely right. It was a fantastic way to wrap up the series. I died laughing about Traynor's toothbrush... Anyway, school tomorrow, so chapters will stop coming out once a day and instead around once every two days, if I can remain consistent. **

* * *

"Major Anthony, sir. All troops are accounted for… except for one. We asked his team, and they said that he went out to 'see the sights' on the Citadel, but never came back. We can assume one of two possibilities, sir. Either he went AWOL, or something… happened to him," Lieutenant Reese reported, and Major Anthony nodded. It wasn't unusual for one or two men to go AWOL when arriving at a foreign destination. Hell, some still did on the Alliance Colony Worlds.

"Do you have a name, Lieutenant?"

"Private Campbell, sir."

"Campbell, huh? He's a good kid. Alright, send a team to search the bars, see if we can find and collect his ass. If you don't have any luck, ask C-Sec if they've got any leads." Lieutenant Reese saluted and went off to carry out the Major's orders.

Major Ryan Anthony was the contingent leader for the Alliance troops stationed on the Citadel. The Council had allowed a minor military presence on their station to sate Alliance High Command's paranoia about aliens, and Anthony got stuck with the short straw. No one wanted to be on occupation duty, even if it was peaceful. He operated out of the building that had been chosen to be the Alliance Embassy, and already, he could see slimy human politicians running amuck.

To pass time, Anthony decided to go through the newly obtained 'Codex' that the Council had complied for Alliance personnel. It contained brief but informative details about the many races that made up the Council, and explained how their political system worked. When he got to the Treaty of Farixen, he let out an audible huff. He was told that the Council forced other client races to adopt this treaty if they wished to have an Embassy, but since the Alliance wasn't a client race, they had… special perks. One being the fact that, since they're a sovereign nation, the Alliance didn't have to sign the treaty.

"Can you imagine if the Alliance signed this piece of shit?" Anthony whispered to himself. "What kind of idiot limits their own military capabilities? No way in hell the Alliance would've ever agreed to these terms, even if the Human-Espheni War had never happened."

A Codex entry caught his eye as he was scrolling through, and he selected it with anticipation. The Keepers, a race of beings that predate even the asari, help with the upkeep of the Citadel, working silently and diligently. It is presumed that they are the biological creation of the Protheans in order to keep the Citadel in working order.

Then a picture of a Keeper came up, and Major Anthony's eyes widened in horror. On the back of the Keeper was clearly a harness, albeit a different design. But he was trained to recognize the technology from anywhere, and there was no doubt in his mind that this was a harness. "Get me a direct line to Director Daniel Orion, now!" he shouted in his mind at the intern that sat in the room front of his.

* * *

Ambassador Glass rushed into the emergency meeting he had called with eyes alight in pure fury. The Councilors found themselves surprised at his anger, and were currently wondering why they had called them to a meeting on such short notice. "How long…?"

"I'm sorry?" Councilor Tevos asked in confusion.

"How long… have you been _harnessing _the _Keepers?!_" Adam shouted, throwing down several pictures of the Keepers. On their backs were the black and red parasites that the human race knew all too well. "HOW LONG?!"

"Calm down, Ambassador!" Tevos shouted over Glass' fit of rage. "We do not possess the technology to create harnesses, let along outfit an entire race with them. Clear your head, and we can discuss the issue at hand."

Glass took a deep breath, subsiding the rage in his mind. "On the backs of each Keeper, Alliance personnel have reported a harness like parasite that is a dark onyx color, with a red glowing center. When the Alliance soldiers came to a conclusion, the Keeper openly attacked them! We have withdrawn our forces to surround the Embassy until the situation is contained."

"The Keepers… the peaceful, engineering race that has kept the Citadel operational for thousands of years, attacked your soldiers?" Sparatus clarified, and Adam nodded. "And you are sure that they have a harness on?"

Adam brought up two holograms, both of them extremely similar. "This one," Adam said, pointing at the first hologram, "is a harness found on Earth during the Human-Espheni War." He appeared to be emphasizing the bronze and orange coloration of the parasite. "This one is one that we found on the Keepers a few hours ago. The only difference is the color scheme."

"The Keepers have never acted hostile towards anyone before…" Tevos whispered as Adam brought up a vid that portrayed several Alliance soldiers defending the Embassy from a Keeper attack wave. "We assure you, Ambassador, we had no idea that the Keepers were harnessed."

"The only known race with the ability to use harnesses other than those within the Systems Alliance would be the Espheni. And that means the Citadel is dependent upon these Keepers for maintenance. Councilors… I think the Espheni control your capital."

"No. During battle with Espheni forces, Keepers continued to work diligently, repairing damage that was caused. If Espheni controlled Keepers, then we most certainly would have lost. That brings us to conclusion that another race uses harnesses, one that we haven't met," Valern explained.

"You believe the Protheans created the Mass Relays and the Citadel, correct?" Adam asked, and the salarian nodded. "The Espheni and the Protheans existed at the same time, and it is extremely likely that they would've encountered each other. Perhaps… perhaps the Protheans used harnesses, and the Keepers are working off the last, dead signal the Protheans left."

"Interesting theory, Ambassador, but, unfortunately, not enough evidence to make accurate conclusion. All of this back and forth debating could be resolved with a simple solution: free a Keeper from the harness, attempt to communicate with it."

"We've got a Harness Suppression Team en route to the Citadel as we speak. They'll be able to cut off the signal the harnesses transmit to the controller without risking the harnessed individual. They'll be here in approximately two hours. We'll have all of the answers we need then."

* * *

Commander Mason and Saren were aboard a transport, hovering over the barren world below them. If he hadn't read the codex, he would've thought that there wasn't even life on the planet. Wrex was in a separate transport, conversing with the diplomatic envoy and preparing to land. "Ever been on Tuchanka?" Mason asked the Spectre.

"Once. Hated it. Smells like varren shit." Mason let out a large laugh at the turian's comment, and a small grin appeared on his face. "You know, Mason, you humans aren't as bad as I thought you were."

"Hey, we all have our fair share of assholes in our species. We can't let the lowlifes of our race represent the entire group. Which is why I am more than willing to give the krogan a chance. If there are a hundred of krogan like Wrex, then I know that we've got this op down pat," Mason replied, and Saren nodded. Before he could reply, however, his head erupted into a throbbing wave of pain that caused him to keel over. He could hear Mason shouting at him in alarm, but the sound was muffled, and his blacked out vision slowly began to fade into something else.

Saren felt like he was a ghost. Not like an invisible assassin, but more like a dead spectral body floating around in nothing. Slowly, figures began to appear before him, and he quickly realized that the tall slender bodies were Espheni Overlords. He half expected them to talk in a language he couldn't understand, but he was surprised when they spoke perfect turian.

"The assault on the Citadel has begun, Commander. Given the current rate of attack, the Citadel Defense Fleet will be destroyed within a matter of hours. However, should the soldiers within choose to close the arms, we would be faced with a three day long siege. The humans would surely intervene by then," the first Overlord said, although said wouldn't be quite the right word. The words were ringing in Saren's head, and could not be audibly heard.

"You will accompany the Rachni on the ground invasion to ensure that they do not reach the terminal. If this invasion fails, the Citadel will still be open for the use of the Ancient Ones. All life within the galaxy will once again be extinguished by their might. We must destroy the Citadel Gateway before the Vanguard awakes and undoes the Prothean's last victory over the Keepers."

"The Ancient Ones will fall this time, Commander. We have steered away from their technological trap. The others will fall prey to the return of the Ancient Ones."

"If the humans forge an alliance with them, then we may very well see a power that rivaled the Prothean Empire, but with higher technological creations. We cannot let that happen. You are to interrupt negotiations between the two powers, and ensure that their forces remain uncoordinated. Do not fail me."

"As you wish, Commander."

Saren's head throbbed again, the vision melting to show the dark void of space accompanied by the faint twinkle of distant, long dead stars. An object that sent shivers down Saren's spine was drifting in space, and a ship that resembled Espheni and Human designs sped by it.

"We have found the Vanguard. Beginning advanced decrypting procedures," came a synthetic voice. The ship moved closer to the object, which suddenly shuddered, causing the other ship to swerve off course in reaction. "Abort, abort! Vanguard is-"

**WHO DARES TO AWAKE THE HARBINGER'S VANGUARD BEFORE THE CYCLE ENDS?! **Boomed a voice that made Saren's blood run cold. **I AM NAZARA, HERALD OF YOUR DESTRUCTION! **Before any of the ships could respond, a bright red flare filled the void and severely damaged one of the ships. It attempted to limp off, but a machine that resembled an eye broke off from the large vessel, and began to pursue the Espheni ship. **YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE FOUND ME IN DARK SPACE. IT WILL BE YOUR UNDOING. **

Instead of running, as Saren probably would have, the remaining Espheni ships opened fire on the object. Their energy weapons left noticeable sears in the black, onyx armor, but the ship appeared to be wholly unharmed. Another red streak damaged a ship, but this time, their shields were up and they were more than prepared. The beam deflected off of their shields, and the energy weapons continued to flare as they soared across the dark void.

Finally, under the torrent of constant laser fire, one of the Espheni ships exploded, leaving the last intact ship and the damaged ship, who was occupied with the Occulus, pit against the massive machine. Instead of continuing the operation of its main cannon, the vessel approached swiftly with its many arms extending. The Espheni ship, regardless of its shielding and armor, was utterly crushed by the sheer force of the massive machine. **PERHAPS… PERHAPS WE HAVE WAITED TOO LONG TO RENEW THE CYCLE. **

The vision once again cut out to reveal the worried face of Commander Mason and a human medic looking over him. "Saren! What the hell happened? You just kind of went crazy for a moment, then still!"

"I… I saw… the Citadel is a… Ancient Ones… Nazara…" Saren muttered unintelligibly. He looked up with a pained expression at Mason, who looked completely baffled. "I saw the beginning of the end… It has already started."

* * *

Given the revelation of the Keeper's true purpose, Major Ryan Anthony suddenly found himself in command of more troops than he knew what to do with. Not just human, either. Several Volm and Chimera contingents had been deployed to help sort out the chaos that had erupted on the Citadel. Not to mention the fact that C-Sec maintained a large presence as well.

Harness Suppression Teams were hard at work, establishing a forward base to operate from and secure a Keeper. After the big reveal to the Council, the Keepers had fled to their network of tunnels. It was going to be a fight, tooth and nail, to get them back out without triggering their biological 'suicide' switch. "HST Alpha and Bravo, this is Overwatch, reporting activity in the network entrance to in the southern sector."

"_Overwatch, we see it too. I'm prepping the Suppressor as we speak, it'll lock the area down, over."_ The Suppressor was a relatively new weapon installed into the Harness Suppression Team, but it was a game changer. It worked by blocking out the signal to the Keepers' harnesses, effectively cutting them off from their masters. While they won't be free from the harness, they will temporarily be free from the mind control portion of the harness.

Fighting had broken out in the streets between the Keepers and the Allied Powers. The Alliance had opted for the make-shift military alliance between the ESA and the Council to be called the Allied Powers, in honor of the World War Two alliance that defeated the Axis. C-Sec was struggling with their orders, considering they were breaking Council Law by firing their weapons at the Keepers, but the new enemy was making it hard for them to resist.

"_Overwatch, we have a slight problem. The Keepers continue to escape the area of effect range of the Suppressor before the signal is broadcasted. We aren't able to secure a live captive. However, one of our guys brought up a good point. We can jury-rig the Suppressor to broadcast on the comm buoys that we used during the Battle for the Citadel," _came the reply from HST Alpha and Bravo. _"That'll broadcast the signal across the entire station within seconds."_

"How long would it take to modify the Suppressor to do that?" Anthony asked.

"_About an hour or so. Alliance and Council tech is very different, we'll have to come up with some kind of adapter to connect the two pieces. Our resident engineer thinks he can do it, and he's currently discussing it with a salarian who has joined us," _answered the HSTs.

"Get on it. I'll send word out for the teams to go on the defensive to limit as much Keeper casualties as we can."

"_Rodger that, sir. We'll notify you before we broadcast the signal."_

Major Anthony looked out the window to look at the progress of the battle outside. Essentially, the Keepers used hit and run tactics to take swipes at our soldiers through the tunnels. There weren't enough Suppressors to keep all of the entrances locked down, so they popped out of the areas that weren't secured. By the time an HST got to the location and set up the Suppressor, the Keepers were already off to harass the next undefended location. Luckily, the Keepers didn't use firearms of any kind, relying on their sharp claws to do the killing. While this was an advantage for the Allied Powers, their forces were still faced with widespread casualties.

"Major," came a deep flanged voice behind him. Anthony turned around to see a military-dressed turian giving the human commander a salute. "I am Captain Varrus, commanding officer of the 29th Armiger Legion. The Hierarchy sends its regards, and we wish to help contain the situation in any way possible."

"Wow. You guys get to work fast," Anthony replied with a laugh. The turian did not return the sentiment. "Anyway… our guys are getting hit hard by Keeper hit and run forces. They're using a form of primitive guerrilla warfare, taking advantage of their superior knowledge of the Keeper network. The last guys we sent into the tunnels got ambushed and almost completely slaughtered, so I'm not willing to send any more men down there until we get the Suppressor up and running."

"Where do you need us?"

"The frontlines are under constant harassment by Keeper forces. My Second in Command is down there, leading the defensive line. Go to him, and he'll help you spread your men out to assist the teams that need it the most." Varrus nodded and turned to leave, but Anthony put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. "One last thing. Humans are… distrusting of aliens. Some of our guys aren't too fond of allying with them. If you get any kind of slander or mistreatment by _anyone_… you let me know. The Alliance doesn't tolerate that kind of attitude."

"Good to know. You should be aware that the Turian Hierarchy is completely professional. If your men do prove to be an issue, my soldiers will not be fazed by their comments." Anthony wasn't sure if the turian was complimenting his own military or insulting the Alliance. Probably both.

"I look forward to working with your people, Captain. Let's lockdown the Citadel. I think the people here have seen enough in the past few days…"

* * *

"This is Reporter Daria Korrel, bringing you the news of the massive amounts of events that has taken place on the Citadel in the past few days. As you know, the Turian Hierarchy made first contact with what appeared to be two species warring against each other. Upon further investigation, they realized that each species was actually a faction containing more than one species. The Systems Alliance peacefully extended the hand of friendship to the turians, while the Espheni attempted to destroy them. The Alliance Ambassador as a few words to say about the Espheni.

_ "The Espheni are a race of cruel and oppressive overlords who are bent on enslaving every species they come into contact with. The human race was almost subjugated one hundred years earlier, but we beat them back and helped free several other races from their grasp. _

"This explains why the Espheni attacked the Citadel a few short hours later," Daria said. "The Espheni were prepared to land extensive ground forces, comprising of old hostiles such as the Rachni and new foes such as the Chimeras, to begin the occupation of the Citadel. Luckily, the Ambassadors ground team was present on the Citadel and teamed up with Spectre Saren Arterius to close the arms to the Citadel and prevent any more oncoming forces from landing. Shortly after, the Alliance First Fleet arrived and devastated the Espheni Fleet, utterly destroying it with no survivors. When asked about the effectiveness of the Citadel Defense Fleet, Councilor Sparatus had this to say:

_"The Citadel Defense Fleet was outnumbered and outgunned during the Battle for the Citadel, and we can't help but admire the courageous valor by the soldiers on board, who gave their lives to protect those on the Citadel. While most of it was destroyed, the Alliance has dedicated aid to help replace the ships lost and retrofit the remaining ships with their superior weapons. No doubt, this attack on the Citadel was a declaration of war, and the Turian Hierarchy will be preparing for such an engagement._

"Between the acts of war and the return of the Rachni, the Council sure does have their hands full. And, with rumors of the repeal of the genophage on the krogan, we can't predict how this war will end, and what will entail such a victory. This is Daria Korrel, signing off! Stay tuned on the Citadel News Channel for more information as the situation develops!"

* * *

**A/N: So, here, we see the beginning of the Rise of the Reapers. I know, technically, Sovereign was orbiting a planet (although the name eludes me) and some batarians found him, but I didn't like that. He's hiding in the dark space in between Mass Relays. Its not like people even go there anyway, because of the limitations on Element Zero FTL. Unfortunately, Espheni and Human FTL _are _able to go there, so that happened. Question Time!**

**Kaioo: On a side note.. was the Espheni Overlord, before it got killed, about to WARN them of what the Citadel was?**

A: You bet he was. Even if Mason had listened, though, what would give him reason to believe an Overlord? Eh. Maybe I just like killing things.

**Unity9: Eagle Scout? How old are you? You're clearly writing on an adult level of grammar. Anyway, keep it up you're doing great and the speed your chapters are coming in is perfect.**

A: Did... did the author of the Matrix Effect just review my story? Your story was one of the first AU I read on this site! Totally loved it! And I'm currently 16, to answer your actual question. Thanks for the positive review!

**Ramos: Hope Glass has given only schematic, which does not pose threat to humanity and its allies.**

A: Indeed, it was only a schematic. The humans didn't hand over their most powerful weapons to someone they just met. The science behind it will have to be researched and developed to figure out how to manipulate it. Just like when the humans discovered the Espheni Warp Drive. They didn't understand how it worked, they just knew it did. It'll be a long time before the Council achieves the same amount of knowledge on energy weapons that the Alliance has, and when that day comes, the Alliance hopes they will be on good terms with the Council.

**And that's it for today! Next chapter, we actually touch down on Tuchanka and join Wrex, while the HSTs on the Citadel release the Keepers from their service. Which means only chaos and madness can follow! See you next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This one's a bit short with something different at the end, but it's pretty lengthy nonetheless. School started, and I'm already writing papers about metaphysics and whatnot, so I'm pretty exhausted. Luckily for you guys, writing is my favorite thing to do when I'm exhausted. Granted, some of the ideas that come out of my sleep deprived mind are less than good, but to be fair, this story was one of those ideas. Anyway, let's begin with the story!**

Mason and Saren stepped off the transport to the sound of loud war chants from a mass of krogan warriors surrounding their landing coordinates. Judging by the wide array of different colors and designs on armor, Mason assumed that the krogan had banded together in order to combat the large amount of ships that were currently landing on their homeworld. It wasn't until Urdnot Wrex joined us that things started to improve. Slightly.

"Think you can handle the political side of things, Wrex?" Mason asked playfully, and Wrex shot him a smirk.

"One thing you newcomers need to know about krogan is that war and politics are the same exact thing." To prove his point, Wrex sauntered up to the nearest krogan clan leader and head-butted the battle master with his solid forehead. "Wreav. I assume you have kept things orderly in my absence?"

"And I see that you've allied with the turians and the salarians," the krogan growled in response, causing Wrex to huff in irritation. "Abandoned your people so you could join the winning side, huh? We'll show you what krogan do to traitors!"

"I missed you too, Wreav…" Wrex grumbled in response. "I'm here for a reason, and a good one at that. The Citadel is growing desperate, and the Systems Alliance pressured them into… into curing the genophage."

_"WHAT?!_" Wreav shouted, loud enough to feel like it shook the ground. "And when the Council no longer has need for the krogan once again, will they just toss aside like a tool once again? Do they see the krogan people as a weapon?!"

"Actually," Mason said, interrupting their shouting match, "the Alliance has made it very clear that, once the krogan have defeated the enemy, if the Council were to release a new version of the genophage, it would be seen as an attack on life. We would either intervene with military or provide a new cure ourselves."

"What the hell are _you?_" Wreav asked, the statement going right over his head. "A pink skinned asari! That's damn hilarious!" The krogan battle master erupted into laughter, causing Mason to frown slightly. "These little pyjaks are the savior of the krogan race?"

"These little pyjaks have guns that can melt your face off," Mason replied, his patients getting short. "We've got a few things to work out, but if you're willing to agree to some terms, then yes. The krogan will once again be able to have children."

Wreav moved dangerously close to the human, who stared down the massive krogan in front of him. Saren's hand instinctively went to his gun, but he waited to see what Mason would do. "And what makes you think we won't kill you now and steal the cure for ourselves?"

"Because you don't want another enemy while you're busy kicking the shit out of yourselves in the war that would follow such an action," Mason replied. "And besides. You'd have to kill me first." To emphasize his point, the massive energy assault rifle hissed and began glowing a pale blue.

"Wouldn't be too hard. You look like you'll rip in half like wet tissue paper," Wreav laughed. "You wouldn't last two seconds against a krogan. You're out matched and out classed, _human._"

The atmosphere was silent as all of the krogan waited to see what Mason would do next. The human commander's mouth twisted into a small grin, which confused the krogan bearing down on him. In a swift move, Mason kicked Wreav back with his armored boot and drew his energy assault rifle. He let off a burst of pure energy aimed at the krogan's foot, and the round went straight through his shields and penetrated his armor. The battle master let out a cry in pain and drew a shotgun, firing round after round at the human, but his adamantium armor was deflecting every shot.

"Sometimes, war is the only path a species can go down," Mason said as he moved closer and closer to the crippled krogan, who was beginning to crawl away in fear. "We've fought a species that chose war over every alternative. There is no room for any race such as that, and two of them would just make the galaxy a little… crowded, wouldn't it?" Mason put a boot to Wreav's head and pushed to the ground with a light kick. "Stay down, krogan. Let the grownups do the talking."

Wrex had the biggest grin on his face while he watched the human put his brood brother in his place. Saren eased up on his pistol and began to calm down. He had to admit, the humans did not fear force where it needed to be applied. But, even then, they still choose diplomacy over every course of action. An admirable trait, given their history.

"Wrex. You wanted to say something to the clan leaders?"

"I must've forgotten in all the excitement of you kicking Wreav's ass. Emergency Clan meeting, in the Hollows. Today, we end the genophage! Today, the krogan once again become a free people!"

* * *

Major Anthony was watching out the window when the Suppressor was fired. A loud signal that broadcasted off of every television, every omnitool, every possible device capable of carrying sound began blaring across the Citadel. The Keepers, who had figured out the plan and immediately attempted to disassemble to comm buoys, froze in their tracks and stumbled down to their equivalent of knees. "Alright, get Harness Removers over to the nearest Keeper, and bring him into the interrogation room. We're going to have a nice chat."

The soldiers over the radio confirmed the orders and slowly approached the insectoid creatures currently standing still. Unlike the other attempts, the Keeper did not dissolve into acid-proteins when approached, but rather remained completely statue-like. The team cautiously severed the connection to the harness, and the Keeper emitted a sound that resembled relief. _"Get this bad boy to the Embassy. The Major wants to lead the interrogation_," came the sound of the soldiers in his head.

The turian captain walked in and joined the Major as he looked out through the window over the series of fortifications the Alliance had made when the Keepers became hostile. "The Council has requested me to tell you that I shall be present during the interrogation. This is non-negotiable."

"Understandable, just… refrain from interfering with the actual process. The Alliance has dealt with harnessed-interrogations before, so we know what we're doing. You have to remember, these poor souls are being controlled. This is more of an investigation than an interrogation. All information gathered will be forwarded directly to the Council," Major Anthony replied, and Varrus nodded in approval.

"That is agreeable, Major," Varrus replied, and the two military leaders could do nothing but stare out the window at the sight of humans and turians working together, forming a defensive line to protect the Alliance Embassy. "This will have… great repercussions on the maintenance of the Citadel. Without the Keepers, it will fall into disarray."

"That may not be the case, Captain," Anthony replied. "The Keepers have been doing this for thousands of years. Harnessed or not, it may very well be all they know. And, once we return their freewill, they may continue the job they've had for millennia, and probably teach you how to do it yourselves."

"Then maybe the volus will be useful for something after all," Varrus replied with a sly grin. Anthony laughed, hoping to his higher power that this turian was kidding and wasn't actually talking about enslaving the volus to maintain the Citadel.

Before he could reply to the slightly bigot comment, an escort of two marines accompanied by a Keeper entered the building from the entrance below. "If you'll come with me, we appear to have a guest."

* * *

SUBJECT: Keeper Harness 1-1 Alpha  
INTERROGATOR: Major Ryan Anthony  
VIOLATION: Subject Possesses Advanced Harness

**Name.**

_Glok… Glok'ras…_

**Species.**

_Apexan… _

**Is that the name of the Keepers?**

_No… this form is not my own. This is not my body. __**They **__did this to me…_

**Who is they?**

_The Leviathans…_

**The Leviathans?**

_A race of massive aquatic organisms with the ability to turn entire species into thralls. My kind proved to be resistant to their… indoctrination. So they constructed these harnesses to subjugate us and turn us into a more… capable form. _

**Exactly how long ago was this?**

_The exact amount of time is unknown, but it has been millions of years. The same cycle over and over again… And it will happen the same to you…_

**What do you mean? What happened to the Leviathans?**

_They built an AI to help them subjugate other AIs that their thralls constructed. That AI deemed them a threat, and harvested their creators to form the first Artificial Leviathan, or Artithans. This machine harvested race after race once they reached the peak of their existence. You are no exception._

**It would appear that your story has a flaw.**

_And what might that be?_

**You're still here.**

_The Artithans had constructed a plan, one that would force people down a specific technological path. In order for that plan to work, they needed slaves. We were already completely subjugated, and the DNA in the Artithans had allowed them to continue manipulating our harnesses._

**Are these Artithans a threat?**

_We are not sure. Ever since they destroyed the last race, the Protheans and the Espheni, we stopped receiving signals from them. Perhaps they left. But, more likely, the Protheans or Espheni succeeded in jamming the signal sent to us in order to begin the purge. It will buy you time._

…

_Did I say something wrong?_

**No. You just solved a massive problem that's been nagging at us for the better part of a century. We appreciate this information you have given us, Glok'ras. We will begin freeing your people with a single request.**

_It would have to depend._

**This is the Citadel, the heart of galactic civilization. The maintenance your people have provided was greatly appreciated, and without it, the station will fall apart. We wish for your people to either continue their service or teach others to do it for you.**

_Leave the Citadel. Abandon its halls, never look back. The Artithans will use it to cripple your people. Even without the Keepers, they will find a way. The Mass Relays are a lie. It is a trap, one that you have all fell… oh, no…_

**What?**

_Even without the harness… The Artithans have put implants within us… They can still control us… *Unintelligible mutters* I can feel its influence! Kill me! Kill me before it takes hold! _

**Weapons ready, Marines. Glok'ras, stay with us. We're going to find a way to disable those implants.**

_Too… late… *Loud metallic screeching* __**ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL! **_

**What the hell…**

_**YOU MAY HAVE FREED OUR THRALLS FROM THEIR PRIMITIVE PRISONS, BUT WE ARE SMARTER THAN TO LEAVE OUR SLAVES UNATTENDED ON THE CITADEL. NOTHING YOU CAN DO WILL FREE THESE PRIMITIVES FROM THEIR ETERNITY OF SERVITUDE!**_

**Marines… open fire.**

* * *

All across the Wards, the Keepers that had unceremoniously frozen when the signal had emitted sprung alive with movement. Civilians had surrounded the Keepers, looking at them with curiosity in their eyes. The Keepers let out a war cry, and suddenly, their skin began to split. At this point, people began to run in fear. The organic portions of the Keeper began to break away as the metallic portions were exposed: a full internal skeleton with four metallic claws acting as legs.

The Keepers began lunging onto the fleeing citizens, tearing them apart viciously. C-Sec was trying to contain the situation, but between the sheer amount of Keepers and their already stretched numbers, they weren't able to do an effective job at it. Garrus Vakarian stood at the forefront of the attack, spraying down the Keepers with his assault rifle. "Get the civilians to safety!" he shouted before throwing a grenade into a large mob of metallic creatures.

Gunships streaked overhead, filling Keepers who dared bare their teeth with mass accelerator rounds. Garrus couldn't help but crack a smile as a Keeper exploded into tons of mechanical parts under the intense fire of the gunship. He refocused, brought another Keeper into his sights, and let a burst fly.

The turian cop ran through the streets, going door to door in order to get people out of the way for the evacuation. As far as he could tell, every ward was like this. Zakera was taking it the worst, since most of the Keepers were already there in response to the human's arrival. Speaking of the humans, Garrus looked to the sky and saw more Alliance ships in the sky than Council. While the Council Forces had been devastated by the Espheni, it was nice to see that the humans were fighting against enemy forces as fiercely as if this was their own home.

Several C-Sec transports arrived, and they began loading civilians in as fast as they could. The Keepers, while sporadic in their first attack, had retreated and regrouped, hoping to make a final push against C-Sec forces. He'd heard on the comm that the Council had already been evacuated, and that the entire Citadel was essentially in mass hysteria. At the rate the Citadel was being attacked by new enemies, he wouldn't be surprised to see the massive station abandoned by the end of the month.

Garrus and a few other C-Sec soldiers opted to stay behind in order to find any more civilians who were straggling behind. While before, the Keepers were only targeting human soldiers, now they were slaughtering anyone who was within their grasp. He had no idea what would cause the Keepers to do such a thing, but he wasn't going to allow that to stop him from killing them all.

The turian looked across the space that separated the Wards and saw the Zakera Ward above him. A huge line of blue could be seen from where he was, and he knew exactly what it was. The humans had extended their forces to cover the entire ward, and the blue line was them simultaneously firing their energy weapons at once. And, as he stood there, thinking about these newcomers, he realized that, while they had certainly rocked the boat around here, they might very well be taking the turians job. He wasn't sure if that excited him or scared him.

* * *

**NAZARA. YOU HAVE FAILED IN YOUR TASK TO MONITOR THE ORGANICS, **came the deep, ringing voice of the largest and most horrifying Artithan around.

**I HAVE NOT FAILED IN MY TASK. THE FALIURE OF THE PREVIOUS HARVEST HAS ALLOWED THE ORGANICS TO JUMP TECHNOLOGY LEVELS. THE ARRIVAL OF THESE HUMANS AND ESPHENI HAVE ALLOWED THE RACES OF THIS CYCLE TO ACCELERATE BEYOND THE PATH WE HAVE SET BEFORE THEM, **boomed the reply from the second Artithan.

**IT MATTERS NOT. THE CYCLE WILL BE CLEANSED. NOTHING CAN STOP THE ADVANCE OF THE ARTITHAN. PREPARE THE FLEETS. WE STRIKE ESPHENI TERRITORY AS SOON AS WE EXIT DARK SPACE. WE SHALL OBLITERATE THE PROBLEM IN THE PLACE IT BEGAN…**

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter was shorter for a reason. I explicitly wanted the interview scene to be short and to the point because, to be honest, that's how interrogations work. No time for every small detail, just the major facts. So, while the story portion ends there, I decided to do a bit of a section down here which catches everyone up while simultaneously introducing points that I made but people may have missed.**

The Leviathans had never encountered a species such as the Apexans before, and the thought of a humanoid race immune to their indoctrination abilities scared the living shit out of them. Before the Apexans could gather strength to free their many thralls, the Leviathans engineered a Harness, which would allow them to directly control any organic being through the use of these organic parasites. A side effect of this turned out to work in the Leviathan's favor: the Apexans turned into four legged creatures known as Keepers when exposed to a Harness over long periods of time. These were the first known Chimeras… Proto-Chimeras, if you will.

In their twilight, the Leviathans had created the Artificial Intelligence responsible for quelling the organic-made machines that were causing mass extinction to their thrall races. This AI turned on them, harvesting the Leviathans and turning them into Harbinger: the first Artithan (**Arti**ficial Levia**than**. See what I did there?) These beings are more commonly known to the organics of the galaxy as Reapers.

These Artithans began to cleanse the galaxy of organic races systematically, using their genetic material to create more and more Artithans. As their numbers swelled, Harbinger took them into hiding, waiting for the species to reach the peak of civilization. When they were exposed to killing themselves with Artificial Intelligences, the Artithans returned in massive numbers and continued the process.

Flash forward a few hundred thousand years, and you have two races currently contesting the Galaxy with their imperial might. The Protheans and the Espheni had long been enemies, their empires openly warring against each other. When the Artithans returned and began to wipe out the Protheans, the Espheni retreated to their own space and prepared for the worst. With the Protheans dead, the Artithans targeted them and began to obliterate their forces. When the last of the Espheni forces fell, the Artithans left them. By sheer luck, the Espheni survived, and salvaged the harness technology the Artithans had used to enslave their people and others.

When the Espheni went to reclaim their spot on the Citadel, they found it occupied by two other, primitive species. Instead of dwindling their precious numbers, the Espheni launched their first ever harness-only operation, choosing to use the Rachni as their test subject. While useful, the invasion failed, and the Espheni waited for their numbers to regenerate so they could lead the invasion themselves.

Since they understood the trap the Reapers had created, the Espheni diverted all of their resources to utilize technology that doesn't fall under the path set before them. They emphasized the development of a travel system that doesn't require the Mass Relays, of which they tend to avoid in order to keep their animosity among the other races as well as alleviate their dependency on them.

Now, the Citadel Council and the Systems Alliance formed the Allied Powers, a coalition of militaries aimed at defeating the Espheni. Their plan to enslave races and use them as cannon fodder for the Reapers while they work on a wonder weapon has backfired in their face, and now, they may be heading towards the first non-reaper related galactic extinction.

* * *

**A/N: So, I understand that I may be dragging the Tuchanka Arch on longer than needed, but to be honest, recruiting the krogan is something so minor in the grand scheme of things. Plus, it's something that kind of comes standard with a normal AU story, which I am actively trying to avoid. Now, NO MORE AUTHOR'S NOTES! THERE'S TOO MANY IN THIS CHAPTER! Question Time!**

**Jabbarulez: will the collectors have harnesses? and they woke the reapers up?! WTF!**

A: I think the standard I'm setting is that the enslaved races will all have harnesses and implants, to be honest. Harnesses to allow for easy control, and implants to intervene when necessary. Even Praetorians and stuff like that will have those pesky slugs on their backs. And, yup, the Espheni woke the Reapers/Artithans. Those pesky fish heads!

**Lay Down Hunter: Why the fuck is everyone so interesting in saving the Qaurians? They're just a bunch of fucking suit rats.**

A: I don't like your tone, mister! To be honest, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I can respect that. I personally like the Quarians because they have a cool culture and history. GETH REVOLUTION! I feel sympathetic for them, and think the way the Council handled their exile was complete bull. I *cough* assume *cough* that people like the Quarians mostly because of Tali, because her character is just fucking awesome.

**Evelsaint93: The keepers have been harnessed for so long. I wonder if they even retain any original information besides the duties programmed into them**

A: I honestly toyed around with this for much longer than I should have. I know it would be more realistic to have the Keepers' memories completely wiped, but it seemed like an uninteresting way to end such a beautiful story arch. Now, they run around, shedding their skin suits _SAREN STYLE! _I really like the Keepers, and hoped BioWare would have done more with them. Like, they have almost no story whatsoever. In this, I gave them a bit of love.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This chapter will focus mostly on diplomatic negotiations as the Alliance and the Council begin their attack on the Espheni. I'll be honest, it won't have much action, and it'll be a lot of dialogue. Also, I am adamant about concluding Tuchanka this chapter as well, no matter what. So, this will be a jam packed chapter!**

* * *

Wrex, Mason, and Saren stood at the head of a large mob of krogan, all who were giving the resident turian extremely dirty looks. Even so, they were eyeballing Mason as well, albeit with more caution than hate. He had made an example of the leader of Urdnot, and they weren't too thrilled about it. Wrex and another krogan, Mason heard the name Weyrloc tossed around a few times, were currently discussing (very loudly) about the current krogan situation.

"The krogan race is dying, Guld! We can't afford to stick to old traditions anymore! They have the cure, they want to give it to us on a few conditions that, honestly, we'd end up doing anyway! How the _hell _can you say no to that?" Wrex growled.

"The turians and salarians neutered our entire race out of spite, Wrex. What makes it so that they won't do it again once they've finished using us?" Guld shouted back in anger. "We are not tools! I'd rather skulk on the ruins of Tuchanka than serve those shit-flinging pyjaks!"

"The Systems Alliance," Mason interrupted, earning many glares, "is backing up the genophage cure. Yes, we need you all to help us. But the Alliance isn't too fond of the Citadel's treatment of your race, and we were planning on, slowly but surely, curing the genophage over time." This revelation shocked the turian next to him, but Mason ignored his protest.

"The Alliance? We have no reason to trust your Alliance!" Guld exclaimed, and several of the clan leaders murmured in agreement. "How do we know that you won't go back on your offer and leave us to die on this rock?"

"Because we've been where you have before," Mason replied, which caused the krogan to scoff in annoyance. "Back when we were on our homeworld, before space flight, an alien race called the Espheni invaded us. In the first six months, 90% of our population was exterminated by them."

"Did they cut off your quads too?" Guld asked sarcastically, which pissed off Mason.

"They enslaved our children and turned them into monsters," Mason shot back, which shut the krogan up. "We're here, offering your people a new chance at life. An opportunity to rise from the hole you dug yourselves. It's up to you to agree to it."

"I still don't trust you, human. But you do have a point…" Guld muttered, and let out a string of what I could only assume were krogan curses. "Clan Weyrloc will listen to your negotiations. For now."

After the rebellious clan leader had stepped down, others began to fall in line as well. For the time being, Wrex was representing Clan Urdnot. "Excellent. First order of business, and the nastiest. If you wish for us to administer the cure, you must immediately sign a treaty with the turians and the salarians, promising not to engage open hostilities with them. An open attack by the krogan government will render the contract void, and the Systems Alliance will not defend the krogan race should the Council decide to re-administer the genophage."

Just as Mason predicted, the entire krogan council roared in outrage. He imagined that that was the main reason why they wished for the cure to be distributed. "They killed billions of our people, and you expect us to play _nice?!" _Guld shouted in anger.

"No. I never said you had to go to Palaven and hug some turian babies," Mason replied, his voice booming over the squabbling krogan. "You just cannot engage them in an open war. Revenge is not an option at this time. We've got another enemy to face. Which brings us to condition two: the krogan people will pledge their people, once their numbers reach a suitable level, to fight the Rachni. In exchange for this, the Council and the Systems Alliance is prepared to allow the krogan to claim any worlds that the Rachni own. Captured Council worlds are, of course, the exception."

_"THE RACHNI ARE BACK?!_" Guld exclaimed in a voice that shook the entire Hollows. But, instead of one filled with anger, it was a shout that was riddled with glee and excitement. "Our ancient foe has returned for another good old ass kicking! Let's show them why we won the first time!"

"Third, and finally, the Council and Alliance have come to a consensus that the krogan reproduction rate is extremely high when unchecked. To quell this problem, once your population has leveled out, the_ Systems Alliance _will oversee a genetic modification to the krogan people that will lower birth rates. Instead of the 1:1000 ratio of the current genophage, this new ratio will be matched with that of the human race."

"_YOU DARE-"_ Guld began, but Wrex interrupted him with a loud roar.

_"ENOUGH, GULD! _If we were to remain unchecked, the Krogan Rebellions would happen all over again. This time, there will be no Alliance to put a word in for us! I have seen the new ratio, and the Alliance version of the genophage will not end with stillborn children. It will simply lower the success rate of the egg being fertilized."

Guld grumbled silently, but cleared his throat and turned back to Mason. "How do we know that the Council won't turn on us? They aren't exactly the biggest krogan fans."

This time, however, Saren piped up. "I am Saren Arterius, Council Spectre. I represent the Citadel Council, and you have my word that the Council will not war against the krogan race outside of the illegal mercenary gangs in the Terminus Systems. However, should you openly attack us, the Alliance has promised to back the Council in a war against you."

"It seems your human friend is balancing on a double edged sword, _Wrex_," Guld spat at the krogan standing next to him.

"You have been presented the offer, Clan Leaders," Mason said, ignoring the last comment Guld had made. "It has come time to vote. Does the krogan people remain in their holes, waiting for the galactic community to take pity on them? Or do they rise out of the ashes of war, stronger than ever, and fight for the glory and honor that comes with war?!"

"Clan Urdnot is for," said Wrex.

"Weyrloc is against!" Guld growled, causing Wrex to look at him with an expression representing pure fury. "A future without freedom is not a future at all!"

"Jurdon is against! An ally of Urdnot is an enemy of Jurdon!"

"Drau is for! It is about time we let the history die!"

"Ravanor is for! Let's crush some Rachni skulls!"

"Forsan is against! We will not succumb to the rule of these _humans_!"

"Raik is for! We shall relive the glory days of the krogan!"

"Gatatog is for! We're sick of this damn planet!"

"It has been settled then!" Mason shouted over the roars of the krogan before him. "The krogan will rejoin the galactic community, not as enemies, but as friends! Send out a call to all krogan off world. We're going to save your people!" Mason turned to the large krogan to his right and began whispering. "So, which clan is going to take charge? I'd rather not have a clan war at the moment…"

"Each clan leader votes for themselves, every time without fail. I will seek out a clan that has too much to lose and earn their vote. With just one, it will put me over every other clan on Tuchanka. Do not worry, Mason. You will get your army. Hold up your end of the bargain, and I'll make sure we hold up ours."

* * *

**3 Months Later**

Admiral James Weaver stood at the cockpit of his ship, the _SSV "Glass" Cannon, _and watched over the shipyards that had populated the space around Earth for a century. Since their first contact with the Citadel Council several months ago, the Alliance has been churning out ships at an unbelievable rate. There were talks on the Admiralty Board that the creation of another fleet was being considered, which is rather insane to be honest. Weaver had no idea how they had enough ships to warrant the creation of a ninth fleet, but they were considering it.

The negotiations with the krogan, thanks to now-Captain Kyle Mason had gone extremely well, but the fallout that had followed left something to be desired. Clan Urdnot had assumed control of all other clans, much to the distaste of many, and had opened up friendly negotiations with the Council. This sparked a minor clan war on Tuchanka, one which was still being fought as we speak. He knew Consular Wrex, leader of the Krogan Imperium, had the krogan on a tight leash as it was. Current estimates predict that the krogan will be ready to go to war within a matter of months.

In response to the Citadel Massacre, also known as the Keeper Crisis informally, the Council had relocated to the Destiny Ascension until further notice. Something either pissed off or frightened Alliance High Command and the Councilors, because they were gearing up for some kind of massive war. He knew they were going to go after the Espheni, but the Alliance had begun plans to create a station they called the Crucible. He had seen the plans for the beast, and the thing was massive. Rumors going around said that it was going to be the next-gen Alliance military boot camp, training a new breed of powerful soldiers. A station this massive served no other purpose than to militarize a great deal of the population.

For some reason, people still clung on to the Citadel as their home. Although nothing was wrong with it anymore (as far as Weaver could tell), it had gained a reputation of being prone to cause… violent issues. It wasn't as if the station was abandoned, which some people had sincerely thought would happen, but significant changes in the population were obvious. Less sky-car traffic, empty shops, and higher crime rates were a sign that, in the distant future, the once beautiful station might end up like Omega.

The Councilors and Alliance High Command, once relations had been formally established, announced the creation of the Alliance-Council Joint Armed Forces, simply known as the Allied Powers, to begin training. Council infantry was outfitted with Alliance Energy Weapons and Adamantium Plating, increasing their effectiveness in combat significantly. Alliance infantry was given Council shielding that, when expanded on with Alliance tech, led to the discovery of energy shielding. Between energy shielding, adamantium, and energy weaponry, the Allied Powers were the strongest force in the galaxy.

One problem quickly arose for the Alliance… one that Admiral Weaver had to deal with earlier on in his career. The Batarian Hegemony had proven to be more than pesky neighbors as slavery attacks on their borders provoked the Alliance into action. In an action that counted as both a retaliatory strike and a show of power, the Allied Powers attacked a Batarian world and conquered it within three days' time. The Hegemony had revoked their embassy on the Citadel, one which the Council wouldn't miss, and withdrew to their borders. On an unrelated note, slaver attacks in Alliance space had mysteriously ended abruptly…

Yes, things were looking good for the Allies as they slowly but surely prepared for the war against the Espheni that would inevitably come. The Espheni's Rachni had attacked a few of the outer Council outposts in minor skirmishes, but were unable to do much damage before they disappeared. Aside from that, the Espheni hadn't made a single move, and that scared Alliance High Command shitless. Either they were biding their time, or something had forced them to withdraw their military.

But, with the combined might of the Citadel Council, the Systems Alliance, and the Krogan Imperium, the Allied Powers were prepared for anything. Admiral Weaver, commander of the Third Fleet, was selected to be the defender of Earth while the First and Second were away, which Weaver despised. Not that he despised protecting Earth, but more so the fact that he wasn't going to be helping the Allied Powers with the war effort. The hate towards the Espheni was intense, greater even than the Quarians and the Geth. At least the Geth attacked the Quarians in self-defense. The humans were attacked unprovoked.

Speaking of the Quarians, the Migrant Fleet was supposed to pass through Alliance Space soon, and the Director of Alliance Affairs had a proposition for them as well. The Council was getting uneasy at the skills human ambassadors had when contacting species that were enemies of the Council, but the Allied Powers had eased them of their fears. No way was the Alliance going to provoke war with the Council when a much greater threat lay in dark space.

Several thousand signatures lit up around the Mass Relay, taking Weaver by surprise. "Holy shit… that's a lot of ships. Establish contact with them. Scans verify that they're Quarian, but I don't want anyone relaxed until I'm face to face with their Admiralty Board. Got it?" Weaver ordered through his thoughts, and all the captains aboard the ships agreed.

Before Alliance Communications could hail the Quarians, they had beat them to the trigger. Weaver accepted the transmission and was face to face with a humanoid covered with a mask. _"Greetings, human. We hope our transgression upon your space will not be seen as a threat."_

"Quite the opposite, actually. We welcome you to Alliance Space," Weaver said, gritting his teeth as he watched the remaining Quarian Migrant Fleet arrive in droves. It was making the Admiral quite nervous. "If your ships require repairs, we have set aside several shipyards to be open for you."

"_Really? We usually aren't met with such grace… I am Admiral Rael'Zorah, of the Quarian Admiralty Board. To whom am I speaking?"_

"Admiral James Weaver, sir. It's a pleasure to be speaking with you. The Director of Alliance Affairs has expressed interest in discussing some things with the Admiralty Board, and is currently awaiting your audience. If you wish, I can-"

"Sir!" Weaver's Ensign shouted from her position in the CIC. "We're detecting several hundred signatures! They are using traditional Warp FTL and not the Mass Relays! Their signatures match that of Espheni or human, but we aren't expecting any traffic in this area."

"What?!" Weaver exclaimed, turning away from the Admiral. "Get all ships on standby, weapons prepared. Admiral, are your ships combat worthy?"

_"We have some protection, but your weapons would tear straight through them…"_

"Can you exit the relay?" Weaver asked, but the Admiral shook his head in defeat. "Why not?"

_"It would take hours for us to evacuate the civilian ships, and it would leave our Heavy Fleet exposed," _the Admiral explained hastily.

"Okay, listen up!" Weaver shouted his orders through his mind and his voice. "I want the Third Fleet, Heavy Division to form a barrier around the Migrant Fleet while they retreat! I don't want a speck of space debris on their ships when they exit, are we clear?"

_"Why-"_

"No questions, Admiral. You can probably stay if you want, but I wouldn't risk it. You probably don't want your civilians in a combat zone." The Admiral nodded in agreement and waited patiently for Weaver to finish relaying orders. "Alert the ground forces, tell them to be ready. Our priorities are to protect the Migrant Fleet and the Shipyards!"

"Sir…" the ensign whispered in a shaky voice that made Weaver dread the next words coming out of her mouth. "…the Espheni… They're hailing us…"

"The Espheni are hailing _us?_" Weaver asked, and the ensign nodded. "That's a first. Let's hear what they have to say, then we'll blow them out of the water!"

"More accurate readings on the Espheni fleet, sir!" came the logistics officer from the other side of the CIC. "These Espheni ships are… sir, they're damaged. They have the signs of energy scaring on their hull, and a lot of them are running on fumes."

Before Weaver could respond, the familiar face of an Overlord appeared on the screen. Several humans gasped, having never seen an overlord outside of the vids or picture renditions of the Human-Espheni War. _Humans… _came the smooth, slippery voice of the Espheni. It sent shivers down the Admiral's spine. _We once sought to dominate you… now, we seek your help…_

"God's a bitch like that," Weaver spat back at the Espheni. "You've got a lot of balls coming to us, fish head, especially when we've got this place locked down with two fleets. You've got twenty seconds to explain why the hell we should help you before I turn your ships into a pile of scrap!"

_All of organic life is under attack… The Artithans have arrived…_

* * *

Mason stood there with Saren Arterius, gazing at the Citadel from atop the Citadel Tower. They both had their rebreathers on, since the atmosphere enjoyed down below was nonexistent up here. "I bet this place was the shit before we showed up," Mason joked, taking a swig from the beer in his right hand.

"Yeah, you guys sure know how to fuck shit up," Saren replied with a laugh. The turian had learned a lot from the human in the three months he had been assigned to his team. For one, the human's outlook on aliens had rubbed off on him, and he no longer saw every other species as a liability to the turians. "So, has Allied Command given us any orders yet?"

"Nope. They're waiting for the Espheni to make a move, or for the invasion fleets to be finished. I'm getting tired of just sitting around. We need to get a move on with this taskforce, Saren, lest we be unprepared when the real battle starts."

Cerberus Taskforce, they called it. All Berserkers have a team to call on should they get in a scrap they can't handle, and Mason was the only Berserker who had actually decided to put that perk to good use. He was able to decide the composition of the team, and, with explicit Alliance and Council approval, he had chosen Saren as the first member. The Alliance, as part of the deal, had installed one Jack Harper to oversee their operations and report their activity to High Command. The sneaky bastard also had the option of calling in prototype tech for the taskforce.

"Harper said he had a contact we might be interested in. This C-Sec officer that went on some kind of rampage during the Keeper Crisis. I dug up some information on him, and the turian has got quite the record. We could use someone like him to be on sharpshooting," Saren replied, and Mason nodded.

"Better be careful though, Saren. Don't want Allied Command think I'm making a turian only taskforce," Mason said with a laugh. "Sure, we can look him up. Shame 'Consular' Wrex couldn't join us. He's busy 'running a government…' Lazy bastard…"

Saren was going to reply, but his head began throbbing once again. He had been getting these migraines, which usually prelude to a flashback in the eyes of the Espheni. "Shit… Mason, I think this one's going to be a biggie…"

Mason offered a reply, but it was drowned out by the sound of loud screeching. Mason appeared to be unable to hear it, and Saren doubled over in pain as the sound intensified. His vision blurred to reveal the faces of two Espheni, but one looked… wrong. _Very _wrong.

It was just as tall, but instead of the pale, smooth, silvery skin that they usually had, this one had dark, black crevices along its pale skin and blue veins of energy running through it. It was being held in some kind of test tube, and the other Overlord appeared to be taking notes on some kind of device.

"Has the subject shown any kind of improvement?" came a slithery voice from outside of the vision.

"No. The results are the same as all other tests. Artithan control over organic races once they have been turned into husks is absolute. We found a signal that can block it, but upon further investigation into the process, it was discovered that the breach in their defenses is temporary at best. It is best to conclude that the Artithans included this mistake as a means to induce indoctrination. The signal required to enter the breach is actually a signal that starts the indoctrination process," the Espheni replied.

"Control is an illusion," answered the first Espheni. "We realized that during the last war, when the splinter group nearly eliminated our entire civilization. If we hadn't hidden in the cryo bunkers beneath the crust of our homeworld and routed out all of the afflicted, then our race may have gone extinct. Still, we may find some form of practical use out of this. Continue your research."

"But, sir, we have already found a way to counteract indoctrination," the second Espheni explained. "We know it doesn't work on husks, though. We can protect ourselves from another incursion like before."

"Yes, but the husks will grow in numbers every time one of our slave forces falls to them. We must find out a way to destroy the husks without using conventional means of warfare."

"Of course, sir."

Saren coughed abruptly and found himself staring at the human Captain, who had let Saren ride out his memory spasm in peace. "Man, it must suck to have been harnessed by an Overlord," Mason says, causing Saren to frown.

"Hey… does the term Indoctrination mean anything to you?" Saren asked, and Mason gave him a weird look.

"Yeah, sort of. The Alliance tried to come up with a way to control people without harnesses, mostly as a way to counter it should the Espheni come up with it before we do. It failed, as we could never replicate the signal necessary to manipulate brain waves. It was a failed project. Why?"

"Because the Espheni just found a way to counter it. And that means someone else has it…"

* * *

**A/N: *GASP* The Espheni asking for help? What could cause them to do such a thing? And how are they not strong enough to counter it? Next chapter is going to be a treat, I've been excited for this one. I'm going to show the beginning of the Reaper/Artithan invasion from the eyes of the Espheni, and how all of their defenses amounted to naught. It'll be sick!** **Question Time!**

**Edboy4926: Does the Crucible exist in this reality? If so, I hope you just use the Destroy option, that is the only option that makes sense.**

A: Yes, and no. I will be using the _name _of the Crucible for something else, but the Mass Effect 3 Crucible will not be canon in this story. I just didn't like it at all. The Reapers and the Allied Powers are going to duke this out, conventional style.

**Jabbarulez: as for how the Espheni survived was it like the Protheans putting them in stasis or was it just pure luck?**

A: The Espheni survived how Javik survived- stasis underground. They just managed to hide enough people before the Reapers arrived to restart their civilization. The Protheans did not 'assimilate' the Espheni. The Espheni were an opposing power to the Protheans, which means they were strong enough to resist them. Ironically, the Espheni hate slavery about as much as all of their slaves do...

**AdamMc66: Artithan: I see what you did there. Also how can you feel sorry for the Quarians? They bloody well deserved to get their asses kicked for what they did to the Geth.**

A: Sort of. The _past _Quarians were the ones that freaked out over the Geth, not these ones (even though they would do the same thing now...) I feel bad for them because they're suffering the mistakes of their ancestors. I'm really trying to think of an example, and the only one I can come up with is Nazi Germany. You don't blame the Germans _now _because of what the Nazis did during World War II. Along the same line of thinking, you don't blame the Quarians _now_ because of what their ancestors did during the Mourning War. That's my line of thought. Just in case anyone was offended, I apologize for having to bring that appalling history to the story, but that was my train of thought while writing this.

NOTE: I realized after writing that last question that I compared the Quarians to the Nazis. After having a long laugh at myself after realizing that, I thought that I should put this here so that none of you think that I'm saying the Quarians are as bad as the Nazis. Am I trying too hard to not step on anyone's toes? I feel like I am...


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Here's the Espheni chapter, with some brief Alliance at the end. Not much to say at the moment, I'll cover my thoughts down at the bottom, so let's get started!**

* * *

Espheni society, contrary to popular belief, actually exists, containing their own form of art, music, and history. No two alien species are the same, and proclaiming, "Once you've met one, you've met them all," is viewed as living in a deep level of ignorance. Sure, two races can be similar in physical and social aspects, but there are always a few critical changes that set them apart from each other. The Espheni are no exception.

Once the Espheni survived the Reaper Apocalypse, they began to rebuild their civilization with one goal in mind: the continued existence of their people. A specific faction, known as the Jax, rose above the other squandering, divided people and established the Artithan Doctrine. This doctrine allowed the Espheni Jax to prepare for a Reaper-Class threat and be ready to combat this threat in long periods of war. While Espheni society had art, music, and history… it is buried beneath the ashes of the past. Now, the Espheni forget about their heritage and focus on a single goal. Survival. If something comes between them and their survival, they will either annihilate or enslave it before it can threaten their people.

The Human Race was one such threat.

Using the lasting records they had on their long-lived enemies, the now extinct Protheans, the Espheni spread out to the many outposts that they had records on and found an empty base that was clearly military design. The Espheni began to gaze at the Garden World that lay next to the desolate red desert planet, and found a species that not only excelled in war, but thrived in it. Espheni High Command deemed this people an Artithan-Class threat, and ordered for their immediate enslavement. This people was, of course, the human race.

High Command proved to be correct in that assumption, as the humans fought tooth and nail for every square inch of land, and made the Espheni pay dearly for every offensive they attempted. Finally, when the war ended and the humans came out on top, the Espheni realized they had made a mistake, and they were going to pay dearly for it. So they did the only thing they knew how to do after thousands of years of isolation: build more guns.

One hundred years later, with the human race searching for their long lost enemies in every corner of space, the Espheni prepared for the ultimate battle against their new foes. High Command realized that, while the Artithans had nearly wiped out their people, the humans would succeed where they failed. No stone would remain unturned in their quest for revenge, and the Espheni prepared accordingly. They based their entire defensive fleet in a barrier formation around their home system, forming an impenetrable line.

Of course, the Espheni had their fair share of military losses, such as the Rachni Wars and the Invasion of Earth. But, when the humans finally discovered the Citadel Council, the Espheni realized that this was their last chance to take over the Citadel and sever the Reaper connection to the center of the Galaxy. Once the humans allied with the Council, the Citadel would be defended by ships that would cause the Espheni massive casualties if they wanted to attack. With their closing window, the Jax ordered the Espheni Navy to make one final push for the station.

With a large portion of their military forces being deployed to the Council-Front, the Espheni Barrier was considerably weaker. Spreading out ships across the entire border of their system required massive amounts of ships to do efficiently, an amount the Espheni hadn't quite reached. Certain portions of the line were weaker than others, particularly the areas not in the direction of an enemy such as the Council or the Alliance. Those weak areas would prove to deal critical blows to the Espheni.

The Artithans knew about the Espheni, but they couldn't do anything to them without risking the end of the cycle to begin early. Contrary to what the Espheni believe, the Artithans are AI and perform with cold, calculated thought. Could one consider them evil? Absolutely, the horrendous acts of genocide they commit are atrocious. But they do what their programming tells them to do. And their programming told them to wait for a time when Espheni defenses were weaker and allowed the Reapers to attack without alerting the rest of the galaxy to their presence.

That time came when the Espheni attacked the Citadel. With everyone's eyes glued to their terminal screens after the attack, the Reapers were able to jump through the Mass Relay in Batarian Space and reach the border of Espheni territory without notice. Had the Artithans begun the invasion earlier than usual? No, they were picking apart the last species clinging to hope from the previous cycle. Were they aware that this could possibly end the cycle earlier than intended? Of course, but it was a risk worth taking. The Espheni would have the power to stop the Artithans with brute force, a method that they weren't willing to accept.

So, while the Espheni were attacking the Citadel, the Reapers launched their invasion of Ethos, the homeworld of the Espheni. It started with the deployment of the Capital Ships to break through their weakened borders, their massive fire tearing apart the smaller, less armed ships in the vicinity. However, the large, durable ships resisted their magneto hydrodynamic cannons and began to fire back, a volley of blue energy beams matching the return fire of the blistering red ones.

High Commander Drazz'ack Xen ordered for the scrambling of the fleets outside of the Espheni Barrier, beckoning for their return to Ethos to soften the blow of the invasion. The initial Artithan attack had Espheni High Command in a panic, recalling their ships and leaving their ships exposed in their hasty retreat. The Reapers ambushed these ships, cutting off all supply lines and rendering the Espheni outer colonies completely helpless. While a large portion of the Reapers were putting pressure on the Ethos Defense Fleet, which was destroying as many Reapers as their ships were being shot down, small teams of Artithan Troop Transporters and Capital Ships began harvesting their colonies, which mostly consisted of enslaved species.

The Reapers, original creators of the Harness, released a biological pathogen that entered every harness and caused them to turn a deep black color with a red center, signifying that they were under Reaper control. They then decided to use the harnesses to accelerate the speed of what humans call Biological Metamorphosis. This is the process species undergo when harnessed, slowly turning them into a common species. However, the Reaper modified this harness to simultaneously turn every harnessed species on every Espheni colony into a husk version of their current race. Within minutes, the entire slave-base of the Espheni had rebelled against their masters and turned into blood thirsty monsters.

This absolutely crippled the Espheni Barrier, which had a large amount of slaves operating as mechanics and engineers within the lower levels of their ships. With their ships in disarray, the Reapers began to pick them off, one by one, as they made their way closer to Ethos. The Espheni's most powerful weapon, their slave-base, had been completely annihilated and turned against them within moments, and they already knew that this was a war that they couldn't win alone. Enslavement, the answer they thought was going to save them all, had turned out to be the one thing that became their undoing.

An Alliance scout, while searching for evidence of this supposed battle going on right beneath their noses, found a disabled Espheni ship near what was obviously one of their colonies. Its life support was totaled, leaving everyone inside to die a slow and painful death from lack of oxygen. Upon entering the vessel, he found several dead… creatures, who appeared to be clawing on the door. On the other side was an Espheni Overlord, sitting in the captain's seat, with a pistol pointed at the door. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened. The scout's team recovered visual data from the battle this ship was part of.

"High Commander Drazz'ack Xen wants our ships to reinforce the defensive line set around Ethos," came a slithery voice, obviously the Overlord in charge. "The colonies and enslaved worlds are expendable! Ethos is not! We enter Warp Space in five… four… three… two…"

"Sir! Reaper signatures coming from the Mass Relay! They opened fire on the heavy cruisers, and the _JSV Klaxxi_ is crippled!" The Espheni Captain looked at the ensign in distaste and began to look at the damage reports. The Espheni ships still had them on record, and when the Alliance scout found them, the rest of the galaxy knew that the Espheni weren't doing too badly. For every Espheni ship to go down, a Reaper one followed it. For the most part, it looked as if the Espheni were going to win the engagement.

Suddenly, all ships stopped firing. Simultaneously. Shielding went offline, engines powered off, and the vessels were left drifting in space. The captain grumbled a few choice words and began barking for a status report from the Espheni down below deck. When none came, his cursing became louder, and he decided to send a few Espheni Marines to investigate. Their cries of pain and distress told the captain everything he needed to know, and he realized that the enemy was aboard. He sent everyone to the armory to get their equipment and fight them off, even the analysts and technicians. Then, as Espheni do, he cowardly locked himself in the cockpit.

Espheni Marines are about as effective as you'd think they would be. It is the main reason why they have to subjugate others in order to fight effectively. Their physical form is extremely weak when put to the test against pressure, and they have a hard time dealing with stressful situations. The only reason the Espheni held their own against the Protheans was because of their superior forces in the navy. Even if the Protheans won a ground engagement, that means nothing when the skies above you remain in the enemies control. Orbital bombardment was used thoroughly in their military campaigns.

But when that powerful navy is run by a slave force that outnumbers the amount of pure Espheni on board, and they not only break free, but lose all sense of decency and begin to maul your people, you realize that depending on one thing for their military was a big mistake. Even with their superior numbers and technology, the Espheni were being annihilated by the Reapers as they moved closer and closer to Ethos.

For the first time in thousands of years, even before the Reaper invasion, the Espheni prayed. They prayed to the forgotten gods that once dominated their culture before spaceflight. They prayed for forgiveness for their sins, and they prayed to _survive. _And, ironically, they prayed that someone would eventually rise up to the Artithans and be able to defeat them. Not only for their own future, but for the future of all organic races.

* * *

Alliance High Command is having a meltdown. The Espheni ships were captured and brought in for questioning, and everything that the Espheni have explained has matched up with the information that the Keeper had given them months earlier. The Council outright refused to believe that their capital, the lovely and innocent Citadel, would be a gateway straight into the heart of civilization for a race of mechano-organic homicidal space ships, bent on annihilating organic races every fifty thousand years. It was for this reason, and this reason alone, that the Espheni that were captured were not executed for crimes against humanity.

"Now begins the case of _Ethos v. Earth_, pertaining the facts presented by Espheni Captive #0126. The defendant may now present his case," the judge hissed as he looked at the Overlord that sat before him. He was being flanked by two Alliance guards, one Volm and one Human.

_Earth Systems Alliance,_ the Espheni said with a hint of desperation in his voice, _I recognize that you despise our species for our acts of war committed against you over one century ago. But, on behalf of the Espheni Jax, I am _pleading _with you to show compassion._

"And why should we?" interrupted the opposing lawyer, who sat across the aisle from the Overlord. "If I remember correctly, the Espheni view compassion, love, and fear as qualities of the inferior!"

_Our culture is different from yours, human. You hold those sentiments higher in your society, just as the turians hold honor and valor, or the salarians hold intellect and cleverness, _replied the Espheni. _My people… they will die if you do not intervene with our war with the Artithans. You recognize this threat! If the Artithans defeat us, they will disappear back into Dark Space, rebuilding their forces to better deal with your own people._

"A war with these Artithans will end in the cost of massive amounts of human, Volm, chimera, and Council lives. Are we prepared to sacrifice those lives for the sake of a species that uses enslaved species as cannon fodder?" rebuked the lawyer.

_We have seen what the Artithans are capable of. We were preparing for a war with them, _the captive shot back. _That does not forgive our actions, but we hope that you will see that the Espheni are fighting for the Greater Good._

At this, the entire room erupted in outrage. The judge did nothing to quell the uproar, instead, choosing to join in it by flinging various curse words at the Overlord in front of him. "Your people are monstrous! You'll burn in hell for what you've done!"

_If you will not help us, then we will die out. Are you willing to doom an entire species to extinction? Are you willing to hold that on your conscience?_

The judge restored order to the room, began talking with Alliance officials, and reached a decision. "From the orders of Alliance High Command, the Allied Powers will intervene in this war. When the Artithan threat has been stopped, the Alliance will quarantine the Espheni to their planet, which will be under constant watch by an entire Alliance Fleet. No species is to land or contact anyone from the surface unless it pertains to military security purposes. This declaration is final, and the defendant will not be allowed to negotiate for a better conclusion."

_And how do you intend to win this war, human? _

"With allies," the judge said, an image of all the races currently affiliated with the Allied Powers appearing above his head. "The human race has chosen to befriend species instead of enslaving them. With their help, we will have the ability to fight back these _Reapers_ before they present a threat to the rest of the galaxy. At the moment, their forces are isolated in your territory. We will destroy them before they can spread their forces."

* * *

**WE HAVE RECEIVED AN UPDATE FROM THE ESPHENI FRONT, **came the haunting voice of no one other than the great and powerful Harbinger. **IT SEEMS ADVANCED HUMAN SCOUTING SHIPS ARE DISCOVERING THE REMAINS OF THE ESPHENI FLEET. WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE IT APPEAR AS IF THEY HAVE ENGAGED IN A CIVIL WAR.**

**IF THIS FAILS, HARBINGER, WE WILL HAVE TO CLEANSE THE GALAXY EARLIER THAN THE CODING PERMITS, **replied Sovereign, who was still looking a bit battle scarred from his original engagement with the Espheni. **AND, AT THE CURRENT RATE THE ESPHENI ARE DESTROYING OUR BRETHREN, WE MAY NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO SO.**

**DO NOT BE FOOLISH, SOVEREIGN. WITH THE MASS RELAYS SHUT DOWN, THE COUNCIL WON'T BE ABLE TO TRAVEL ANYWHERE. THEIR FORCES WILL BE ISOLATED, AND THE SYSTEMS ALLIANCE WILL LOSE AN ALLY AS SOON AS THE WAR BEGINS. THE HUMANS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FIGHT A WAR AGAINST THE BILLIONS OF HUSKS WE HAVE CREATED AFTER OUR WAR WITH THE ESPHENI.**

**THE ODDS LOWER EVERY DAY, HARBINGER. WE SHALL SEE IF YOU PROVE TO BE CORRECT.**

* * *

Captain Kyle Mason, Spectre Saren Arterius, and Jack Harper were all standing in front of a terminal, gazing at its contents intently. There, Harper had created a dossier of all of the possible soldiers that the Captain might want to recruit for the Cerberus Taskforce. Harper kept glancing nervously at the turian to his right, and Mason noticed a distinct hostility towards his turian friend. He put it aside, as xenophobia was a common trend among the humans, despite having lived with two other races for over a century.

The first entry was a well decorated C-Sec detective, a turian named Garrus Vakarian. He was renowned for his service during the Keeper Crisis, having led the resistance forces that saved hundreds of lives during the violent attack. He was currently leading the C-Sec division of Hunters, but is more commonly known as Finders Keepers for… obvious reasons. The Finders were created shortly after the Keeper Crisis to go into the tunnels and hunt down the last of the hiding machines as well as map out the Keeper tunnels and get a good feel for its design. It was largely due to Garrus that the Citadel was still operational.

The second entry proved to be an obvious choice, but one that was going to be extremely difficult to accomplish. Consular Wrex, leader of the Krogan Imperium, is a fantastic fighter and had served with Saren and Mason several times before. The only catch is to see if we can relieve him of his political obligations in order to get him on the team. They were going into this one expecting to be stonewalled, but they still had high hopes for the krogan's return.

The other entries, however, were simply names and combat records. Several of them were actually Spectres, others were Berserkers, but most of them had somehow fought the Espheni in some fashion. The Spectres had fought Espheni forces on the Citadel, mostly Rachni and Keepers, so they were decent choices. Berserkers, however, were widely coveted for their expertise on the Espheni. They were literally trained their entire life to fight the alien threat. Some of them were human, some Volm, and they even saw a few chimera on the list.

"We'll need more information on the others," Mason finally says, breaking the silence as Saren continued to read. "We'll head to the Citadel to find this Garrus. Any leads on where he might be?"

"Last our informants told us, he was in the Warzone," Harper replied, which made Mason and Saren cringe. The Warzone was the only place on the Citadel where the Keepers still had full control of the territory, and the Finders were desperately trying to break their line. "If you can't find him there, you'll find someone who can direct you to him."

"And Wrex?" Saren asked.

"He's in Urdnot on Tuchanka," Harper told him, with a little bit of poison in his voice. "I've alerted him that you'll be there soon for a visit, so he's expecting you relatively soon. I'll get more information on the other choices and sift the undesirables out." Mason prayed that he didn't mean aliens when he said that.

"Good. We'll head to the Citadel," Saren replied. "Time to get off this rock. Earth is nice and all, but wait till you see the sights on Palaven. There's nothing to compare it to."

"Knowing what you know, the war that's coming is going to devastate the entire galaxy. We better hope for the good of our species that Cerberus Taskforce never has to return to either of the two worlds until this entire conflict is over."

* * *

Admiral Hackett gazed out of the ship under his command, surveying the massive construction project that was being built before his eyes. Project Crucible, High Command had called it, the training ground for the super soldiers and tacticians that would later be the tip of the spear for the Alliance military. The massive super station would defend Earth while simultaneously training men to destroy those who would oppose the Alliance.

Project HAMMER was the super soldier program, using a combined knowledge of genetic manipulation therapy and advanced cybernetic implants throughout the body to make the user exceptionally stronger and better than their N7 counterparts. The tactician program, Project SPYGLASS, uses the same process, but focuses the implants and gene manipulation therapy in the brain instead of the muscles and nerves. Someone with SPYGLASS enhancements will be able to use a much larger percentage of their brain than the average human, opening up untold amounts of opportunities and tactics for the Systems Alliance.

"Come after us now, you fish head bastards," Hackett muttered quietly as he looked over the skeleton of the station being built with hints of pride. "Try to best us now..."

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter, we begin the Allied-Artithan War, as well as find the first crew member of Cerberus Taskforce! I will be using new characters as well as old ones, apparent by my mentioning of Garrus and Wrex from earlier. Shepard is more of a controversial topic in my opinion. People love him/her in the actual game, including myself. But in a fanfiction... he/she feels out of place. That, or he forces authors to stick to what they know, and it turns the story into a Mass Effect copy with a different beginning. Obviously, that's out of the question, since the Reapers are here now. But... tell me in the reviews. Do you guys want a Shepard? I'm on the fence, so it's up to you guys. Question time!**

**Kaioo: So.. I take it that the Human-Espheni ships should be able to pretty much go toe to toe with the Arthitans respectives... whilst the Council's will probably be slightly lower... that's a thing isn't it. you give tentative allies inferior tech to yours? Or are you going to BUFF the Arthitans heavily since frankly.. their shields and stuff shouldn't be able to handle the weapons the Espheni and co. have.**

A: I wanted to beef the Council up a bit, since I like my version much more than other people's interpretation of the humans. They're much more agreeable, in my opinion, and that's what I was going for. However, the Artithans are going to be much more powerful than ingame Reapers. You'd think they would be doing some kind of service upgrade while in Dark Space, maybe searching for the meaning of life. I don't know, but it feels stupid that they would be out there in 'offline mode.'

**The War Wizard: I find it interesting that you gave the Reapers a way in to Espheni space, bypassing the DLC in ME 2 where you blow up a Batarian star system. It is stated that the Reapers could only enter the galaxy from Batarian space. Anyway, great ideas and well executed.**

A: Sorry to burst your whole concept of Interesting, because I really couldn't find a way to get around that canon without making the Reapers going around the entire galaxy as a whole, or cutting through it (as they're trying to eliminate the Espheni, not the other races. Their cycle isn't over yet). While the Espheni are busy causing havoc near the Citadel, the Reapers are able to slip through in the panic of other races unnoticed.

**VanguardeThorne: How have the krogan recovered so quickly? It feels like, after three months, the krogan have already established a government, and you make them seem like a galactic power already. I could just be misreading things, but that's what I've picked up on.**

A: Maybe I didn't word it carefully or not, but I was trying to make it clear that the krogan were not joining the Council as a client race, or as anything at all. They created the Krogan Imperium, led by Urdnot Wrex. They haven't recovered much in terms of population, but three months is enough time to do some serious... you get the picture. The krogan will be back up to speed in around a year and a half or so, as even with amazing baby makers, that kind of population drop will take time to fix. Tuchanka is still a shit pit, and there are still clan wars. In no way are they a galactic power. _Yet._


End file.
